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balance

noun

bal·ance | \ ˈba-lən(t)s

Definition of balance

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : physical equilibrium trouble keeping your balance on a sailboat lost his balance and fell a boxer kept off balance for a whole round

b : the ability to retain one's balance Gymnasts must have a good sense of balance.

2a : stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the vertical axis when the two sides of the scale are in balance tipped the statue off balance

b : equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements … the balance we strike between security and freedom.— Earl Warren Both parties were interviewed to provide balance in the report. the right balance of diet and exercise

c accounting : equality between the totals of the two sides of an account

3a : an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements achieving balance in a work of art

b grammar : the juxtaposition in writing of syntactically parallel (see parallel entry 1 sense 3c) constructions containing similar or contrasting ideas (such as "to err is human; to forgive, divine")

4a accounting : an amount in excess especially on the credit side of an account has a comfortable balance in the bank You must maintain a minimum balance of $1000 in your account to avoid fees.

b : weight or force of one side in excess of another The balance of the evidence lay on the side of the defendant.

c : something left over : remainder answers will be given in the balance of this chapter— R. W. Murray

5 : mental and emotional steadiness I doubt that Thoreau would be thrown off balance by the fantastic sights and sounds of the 20th century.— E. B. White

6 : an instrument for weighing: such as

a : a beam that is supported freely in the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its ends

b : a device that uses the elasticity of a spiral spring for measuring weight or force

7 : a means of judging or deciding the balance of a free election

8 : a counterbalancing weight, force, or influence The comedic character serves as a balance to the serious subject matter of the play.

9 : an oscillating wheel operating with a hairspring to regulate the movement of a timepiece a watch's balance

in the balance or in balance

: with the fate or outcome about to be determined our future hangs in the balance as we await his decision

on balance

: with all things considered the meeting went well on balance

balance

verb

balanced; balancing

Definition of balance (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to poise or arrange in or as if in balance balancing a book on her head The legislature hasn't balanced the budget in years.

b : to bring into harmony or proportion I struggled to balance my career and family life. a balanced diet

c : to bring to a state or position of balance (see balance entry 1 sense 2) balanced the scales by adding a little more on one side

2a(1) accounting : to compute the difference between the debits and credits of (an account) balancing a company's books

(2) : to pay the amount due on : settle sent a check to balance her account

b(1) : to arrange so that one set of elements exactly equals another balance a mathematical equation

(2) chemistry : to complete (a chemical equation) so that the same number of atoms and electric charges of each kind appears on each side

3a : counterbalance, offset He served black coffee to help balance out the sweetness of the dessert. balance one consideration against another

b : to equal or equalize in weight, number, or proportion The good times balanced the bad times.

4 : to weigh in or as if in a balance (see balance entry 1 sense 6) balance the profit and loss to see what had been gained

intransitive verb

1 : to become balanced or established in balance Try balancing on one foot. The good times and bad times balanced out.

2 : to be an equal counterbalance —often used with out His speed will likely balance out his competitor's greater strength.The discount and the shipping charge balance each other out.

3 : waver sense 1 balances and temporizes on matters that demand action

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about balance

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Examples of balance in a Sentence

Noun She had trouble keeping her balance as the boat rocked back and forth. The skater suddenly lost his balance and fell. Another skater bumped into him and knocked him off balance. Gymnasts need flexibility and balance. She has a good sense of balance. To provide balance in her news story, she interviewed members of both political parties. Temperature changes could upset the delicate balance of life in the forest. To lose weight you need the proper balance of diet and exercise. The food had a perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors. It's important to keep your life in balance. Verb I find it difficult to balance on one foot. He had trouble balancing on his skis. He helped his daughter balance on her bicycle before she started peddling. The legislature is still trying to balance the state's budget. He balances his checkbook every month. Something's wrong: the books don't balance.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In light of these uncertainties, the balance here between vaccination’s costs and benefits is obvious. — Hilda Bastian, The Atlantic, "A Terrible Conundrum for the AstraZeneca Vaccine," 30 Mar. 2021 That’s assuming the cryptocurrency balance is enough to cover the value of the online purchase. — Chris Smith, BGR, "PayPal will let you pay online with bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin," 30 Mar. 2021 And what is the right balance between saving lives by following the advice of medical professionals and sustaining livelihoods by protecting the country's economic health? — Stephen Collinson, CNN, "What to make of Georgia's new voting law," 29 Mar. 2021 What was the correct balance of hitting and pitching for the Angels’ two-way star? — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, "Inventive ways to maximize Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani’s starts and swings," 23 Mar. 2021 But when two of the world’s largest tech companies, Google and Facebook, generate most of their revenues from advertising, and when that advertising is driven by your data and interactions with their services, the balance is very wrong. — Zak Doffman, Forbes, "Why You Suddenly Need To Stop Using Google Chrome," 20 Mar. 2021 Franco said balance is key when deciding whether to post vaccine selfies. — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Should you post your vaccine selfie to social media? This person works in community health and says yes, with a caveat.," 19 Mar. 2021 City council is still working on deciding what the proper balance is for restrictive hours. — Laura Bednar, cleveland, "Independence considers new ordinances on construction noise and vehicle parking during winter," 15 Mar. 2021 The whole balance is available to causes of the donor's choice. — Ron Wolfe, Arkansas Online, "Heather Anne Larkin," 14 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some brands may combine certain materials to balance out cost, support and maintenance. — Anthony Marcusa, chicagotribune.com, "The best classic clog," 3 Apr. 2021 The administration is reportedly walking back from initial plans to make the child tax credit provided by the American Rescue Plan permanent, and is feeling newfound pressure to balance out new spending with tax hikes. — Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, "Don’t Fall for the Carbon Tax Trap," 31 Mar. 2021 To be fair, the Dan Duquette regime did plenty of that and did it well, so the Orioles can afford to balance things out. — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Is the Orioles’ rebuild on track? From prospects to player development to scouting, here’s where things stand.," 29 Mar. 2021 Only time will tell if Netflix manages to balance things out a bit more moving forward. — Zach Epstein, BGR, "Forget Netflix, Tubi is adding 128 new movies and TV shows in April that all stream free," 24 Mar. 2021 Sometimes, depending on where one stands, the scales of justice never even balance out, let alone tip in one’s favor. — Washington Post, "Harris’s self-evident truth," 22 Mar. 2021 Many target date providers incorporate behavioral factors and balance out risks in multiple dimensions traversing across extensive amounts of data. — Tayfun Icten, Forbes, "Guaranteed Income Meets Target Date," 18 Mar. 2021 Will the large numbers force the administration to adopt more restrictive policies on immigration, or will officials find a way to balance their more humanitarian policy goals with growing pressure at the border? — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, "Why the big numbers you're hearing about the border are only part of the story," 10 Mar. 2021 Huesticks can also be used as a way to balance out dark circles and dark spots. — Brandy Guerry, Southern Living, "I Use This Eye Shadow Stick As a Lip Tint, Blush, and Spot Corrector—And I Can't Stop Telling People About It," 8 Mar. 2021

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

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Last Updated

5 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Balance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balance. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for balance

balance

noun

English Language Learners Definition of balance

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the state of having your weight spread equally so that you do not fall

: the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling

: a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or proper amount of importance

balance

verb

English Language Learners Definition of balance (Entry 2 of 2)

: to make (something, such as a plate or your body) steady by keeping weight equal on all sides

: to adjust (an account or budget) so that the amount of money available is more than or equal to the amount of money that has been spent

: to check and make adjustments to financial records so that they are accurate

See the full definition for balance in the English Language Learners Dictionary

balance

noun

bal·ance | \ ˈba-ləns

Kids Definition of balance

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a steady position or condition The gymnast kept her balance.

2 : something left over : remainder He spent the balance of his allowance.

3 : an instrument for weighing

4 : a state in which things occur in equal or proper amounts a balance of work and fun

5 : the amount of money in a bank account

6 : an amount of money still owed

balance

verb

balanced; balancing

Kids Definition of balance (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to make or keep steady : keep from falling … their slippery … forefeet did not allow them to balance there.— Dick King-Smith, Pigs Might Fly

2 : to make the two sides of (an account) add up to the same total

3 : to be or make equal in weight, number, or amount You must balance your schoolwork and outside activities.

balance

noun

bal·ance | \ ˈbal-ən(t)s

Medical Definition of balance

1 : an instrument for weighing

2 : mental and emotional steadiness

3a : the relation in physiology between the intake of a particular substance and its excretion —used with positive when the intake of a substance is greater than the body's excretion of it and with negative when the intake of a substance is less than the body's excretion of it — see nitrogen balance, water balance

b : the maintenance (as in laboratory cultures) of a population at about the same condition and level

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