counterweight

noun coun·ter·weight \ ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌwāt \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: counterweight in a Sentence

Definition of counterweight

: an equivalent weight or force : counterbalance

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counterweight

transitive verb

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Examples of counterweight in a Sentence

The crane has a heavy counterweight on the back.
hard work can often be a counterweight to modest intelligence

Recent Examples of counterweight from the Web

The group was recently formed as a counterweight to Judicial Crisis Network, a right-leaning group whose advocacy helped block President Obama’s nominee from being considered in 2016 and supported Gorsuch’s nomination in 2017.

— sarah d. wire, latimes.com, "Democrats' long-shot plan to stop Trump's Supreme Court pick," 8 July 2018
Imagined as a counterweight to the E.U., the ECU showed Russia’s efforts to bring together the post-Soviet region under its influence, to increase its regional and global power.

— andrew foxall, Washington Post, "Russia used to see itself as part of Europe. Here’s why that changed.," 18 June 2018
For women running against the establishment, which in many places can resemble an old boys’ club, Emily’s List can serve as a counterweight.

— molly ball, Time, "‘It’s a Sea Change’ for Democratic Women in the Primaries," 14 June 2018
Consisting of ropes, pulleys, blocks, and counterweights, the rigging system enables stage crews to deploy the technical components of a production.

— don aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "Construction mishap at Colonial could delay ‘Moulin Rouge!’," 12 June 2018
Without that counterweight, The Women of Ireland, for all its charms, is a less than satisfying outing.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Women of Ireland': Five plays in an hour, classic and contemporary," 9 Apr. 2018
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a joint-security bloc with China and Russia, is widely viewed as a counterweight to NATO, the Western military alliance.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Iran's Rouhani blasts US trade policies, calls them 'a threat to all'," 10 June 2018
James is customarily good -- and pained -- striking out on his own, and has nice chemistry with Dillahunt, a cowboy type who provides a more expressive counterweight to his clenched persona.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Fear the Walking Dead' gets major makeover with Morgan's arrival," 13 Apr. 2018
Trump and many other Republicans in Washington viewed Saudi Arabia as a counterweight against Iran.

— NBC News, "AP investigation: A Trump fundraiser's secret lobbying effort to win $1B in business," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'counterweight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.