tip the balance
idiom
: to change a situation so that one person, group, etc., is more able or likely to succeed : to give an advantage to someone or something
Both candidates are qualified, but her experience tips the balance in her favor.
Examples of tip the balance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lu Lin says government subsidies might help tip the balance for her at some point — if the money's good enough.
—
John Ruwitch, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
The campaign’s closing weeks are likely to remain contentious as both sides seek to leverage national political trends and local issues to tip the balance.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Lai’s speeches were timed leading up to July recall votes that could have unseated 24 lawmakers for the pro-China KMT and thus tip the balance of power for his DPP in the Legislative Yuan.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Other times, secondary variants have no obvious effect on their own but together can tip the balance of whether and how a disease will appear, even in the absence of a primary variant.
—Santhosh Girirajan, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tip the balance
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John Ruwitch, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
The campaign’s closing weeks are likely to remain contentious as both sides seek to leverage national political trends and local issues to tip the balance.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Lai’s speeches were timed leading up to July recall votes that could have unseated 24 lawmakers for the pro-China KMT and thus tip the balance of power for his DPP in the Legislative Yuan.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Other times, secondary variants have no obvious effect on their own but together can tip the balance of whether and how a disease will appear, even in the absence of a primary variant.
—Santhosh Girirajan, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tip the balance
Cite this Entry
“Tip the balance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tip%20the%20balance. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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