as in offsets
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective
hard work can often be a counterweight to modest intelligence
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Recent Examples of counterweights
Built by the Mosler Safe Company in Ohio, the vault’s doors opened upward, activated by two massive counterweights that swung down at the press of a button.
—
Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
When clinicians practice this way, patients still seek out peers — but as companions, not counterweights.
—Scott Hamilton, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
When the executive presides over the legislative branch and retains veto authority, meaningful institutional counterweights can become harder to sustain.
—Sara Albrecht, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Each tram has eight passenger cars and is powered by a typical heavy-duty elevator mechanism with cables, counterweights, etc.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
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
They should be cultivated as counterweights to an overpowering security establishment.
—Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2018
Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
When clinicians practice this way, patients still seek out peers — but as companions, not counterweights.
—Scott Hamilton, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
When the executive presides over the legislative branch and retains veto authority, meaningful institutional counterweights can become harder to sustain.
—Sara Albrecht, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Each tram has eight passenger cars and is powered by a typical heavy-duty elevator mechanism with cables, counterweights, etc.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
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
They should be cultivated as counterweights to an overpowering security establishment.
—Shalom Lipner, Foreign Affairs, 26 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterweights
Noun
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Unlike private debts, these types of federal debts can sometimes result in benefit offsets or other collection actions.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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Other companies offering soil carbon offsets include Denmark’s Agreena, which describes itself as the largest soil carbon program in Europe.—
Jasmin Sykes,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
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These tiers can help display more petite refreshments, adding depth to your tablescape or saving space on your tables and counters.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
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Why scent is trending right now Social media did what perfume counters could not.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
Noun
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The stock market's near record highs, swelling 401(k)s and other retirement account balances.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
Noticing balances thinking without replacing it.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
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These are all refreshing correctives to the texts that previously stood in for contemporary Japan internationally, including any number of small volumes about magical cafés, bookshops, or libraries, often with cats on their covers.—
Sarah Chihaya,
New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2026
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Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.—
Dan Brooks,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counterweights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterweights. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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