counterweight

noun

coun·​ter·​weight ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌwāt How to pronounce counterweight (audio)
: an equivalent weight or force : counterbalance
counterweight transitive verb

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 on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to the outlets, the pair heard a loud bang and the elevator cabin jammed before eventually falling down the shaft, along with a number of concrete counterweights. Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025 Amid the churn in Europe and globally, with trenchant nationalism on the rise, and a war raging in Ukraine just 1,200 miles from the palace, many might say that having a hereditary royal as their head of state offers some reassuring continuity, acting as a counterweight to political upheaval. Vivienne Walt, Time, 3 Oct. 2025 Moreover, Beijing likely sees solidifying a geopolitical counterweight to the United States and its allies as more important than preventing Iranian proliferation or reining in North Korea’s nuclear expansion. Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025 But in a reminder that Trump is not wildly popular with the electorate so much as unopposed by any effective political counterweight, groups of foreign tourists predominated among the parade’s early arrivals. Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for counterweight

Word History

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterweight was in 1693

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Cite this Entry

“Counterweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterweight. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

counterweight

noun
coun·​ter·​weight ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌwāt How to pronounce counterweight (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on counterweight

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