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
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
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
-
The $10 million Cousins is guaranteed from Atlanta in 2026 is subject to offsets, meaning if the Raiders signed him for, say, $3 million, the Falcons would pay the remaining $7 million.—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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Later this year, the federal government plans to resume wage garnishment and tax refund offsets for borrowers in default, stripping hundreds of dollars from people’s paychecks.—
Richard Cordray,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The kitchen balances sleek stainless steel appliances with stone counters and fun, patterned tilework, and the bathrooms mix polished fixtures with statement tile.—
Bailey Berg,
Architectural Digest,
8 Apr. 2026
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The kitchen includes custom Allmilmo cabinets, quartz counters and stainless steel appliances.—
Lauryn Azu,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As those balances grow, though, and more borrowers fall behind, creditors are increasingly turning to aggressive collection tools — including bank levies — to recover what they're owed.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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This keeps balances stable and reduces the risk of shortfalls.—
Fazila Shahid Lodhi,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Apr. 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 13 Apr. 2026.
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