balancing act

noun

plural balancing acts

: an attempt to handle or deal with two or more things (such as obligations) at one time so as to satisfy often competing requirements

"It's a difficult balancing act between celebrating the past and making room for the future."

—Jeffrey Brown

Vegas might be the starkest example of what the hospitality industry faces across the country: a delicate balancing act between bringing back jobs and revenue and keeping workers and customers safe from a virus that's killed more than 100,000 Americans.

—Dave Jamieson

It's a balancing act between appreciation, education and safety. Earlier this year, London city council voted to tighten up a parks bylaw that restricts the amount of food residents can feed to wild animals.

—Megan Stacey

Examples of balancing act in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So far, his balancing act is keeping him levelheaded and determined. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2026

The digital age has always been a balancing act between the thrill of what’s new and the strength of safeguards for the public. —Leslie Miller, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2026

Katherine Jellison — a professor of American history at Ohio University who has studied US history, women and gender, and the nation’s first ladies — said Duwaji and Mamdani’s balancing act is complicated by the 24-hour news cycle and the constant churn of social media in the 21st century. —Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026

All About Balance Of course, adding whimsy to your home is also a balancing act. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for balancing act

• overreact
• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked