What does "balance" mean?
A state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium.
Balance
/ˈbæləns/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium.
- Grammar: balance is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: equilibrate, equilibrium, equilibrize, poise.
- Useful contrasts: unbalanced, asymmetry, bias.
- Usage evidence: The French government has launched an online game that challenges taxpayers to balance the national budget.
How to use "balance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "balance" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "balance" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "balance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "balance" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "balance" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "equilibrate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "balance", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium. uncountable
"But civilized man is quite a different animal, and when he wipes out an entire city or levels a forest, he is no longer working within the natural balance of things."
- 2 a scale for weighing; depends on pull of gravity wordnet
- 3 Mental equilibrium; mental health; calmness, a state of remaining clear-headed and unperturbed. uncountable
- 4 a wheel that regulates the rate of movement in a machine; especially a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece to regulate its beat wordnet
- 5 Something of equal weight used to provide equilibrium; counterweight. countable, figuratively, literally, uncountable
"These weights are used as a balance for the overhanging verandah."
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 a weight that balances another weight wordnet
- 7 A pair of scales. countable, uncountable
- 8 (mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane wordnet
- 9 Awareness of both viewpoints or matters; neutrality; rationality; objectivity. uncountable
- 10 harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design) wordnet
- 11 The overall result of conflicting forces, opinions etc.; the influence which ultimately "weighs" more than others. uncountable
"The balance of power finally lay with the Royalist forces."
- 12 (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Libra wordnet
- 13 Apparent harmony in art (between differing colours, sounds, etc.). uncountable
- 14 equality between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account wordnet
- 15 A list accounting for the debits on one side, and for the credits on the other. countable, uncountable
- 16 the difference between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account wordnet
- 17 The result of such a procedure; the difference between credit and debit of an account. countable, uncountable
"I just need to nip to a bank and check my balance."
- 18 something left after other parts have been taken away wordnet
- 19 A device used to regulate the speed of a watch, clock etc. countable, uncountable
- 20 equality of distribution wordnet
- 21 The remainder. countable, uncountable
"The balance of the agreement remains in effect."
- 22 a state of equilibrium wordnet
- 23 Libra. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To bring (items) to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights. transitive
- 2 hold or carry in equilibrium wordnet
- 3 To make (concepts) agree. figuratively, transitive
"the Proteus Principle helps to qualify and balance the concepts of narrators and of narrative situations as previously developed in classical studies by G erard Genette and Franz Stanzel."
- 4 compute credits and debits of an account wordnet
- 5 To hold (an object or objects) precariously; to support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling. transitive
"I balanced my mug of coffee on my knee."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 bring into balance or equilibrium wordnet
- 7 To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate. transitive
"Ballance the Good and Evil of Things."
- 8 be in equilibrium wordnet
- 9 To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally. transitive
"to balance partners"
- 10 To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass.
"to balance the boom mainsail"
- 11 To make the credits and debits of (an account) correspond. transitive
"to balance a set of books"
- 12 To be in equilibrium. intransitive
- 13 To have matching credits and debits. intransitive
- 14 To weigh in a balance. obsolete, transitive
- 15 To hesitate or fluctuate. intransitive, obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 The constellation and zodiacal sign Libra.
"Libra, or the Balance holdeth in the Navel, the Reins, and the lower parts of the Womb."
Antonyms
Example
"The French government has launched an online game that challenges taxpayers to balance the national budget."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "balance"?
Common synonyms include: equilibrate, equilibrium, equilibrize, poise, accommodate, accord.
How do you use "balance" in a sentence?
The French government has launched an online game that challenges taxpayers to balance the national budget.
How do you pronounce "balance"?
Pronounced /ˈbæləns/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English balaunce, from Old French balance, from Late Latin *bilancia, from (accusative form of) Latin bilanx (“two-scaled”), from bi- + lanx (“plate, scale”). Displaced the word — Old English wǣġ akin to Modern English: wey from Proto-West Germanic *wāgu (“scales; weight”).
Etymology 2
Calque of Latin Libra.