Counterbalance

//ˌkaʊntəˈbæləns// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A weight that is put in opposition to an equal weight so it keeps that in balance. literally
  2. 2
    a weight that balances another weight wordnet
  3. 3
    A force or influence that balances, checks or limits an opposite one. figuratively
  4. 4
    a compensating equivalent wordnet
  5. 5
    equality of distribution wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To apply weight in order to balance an opposing weight. transitive

    "Big brother counterbalances his two siblings to the pound."

  2. 2
    oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions wordnet
  3. 3
    To match or equal in effect when applying opposing force. figuratively, transitive

    "Arm wrestling is undecided as long as the opponents counterbalance each other."

  4. 4
    contrast with equal weight or force wordnet
  5. 5
    adjust for wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
counteractcounterweightbalancecompensatecounteractcounterpoise

Example

More examples

"Tom, this lumber, sat at one end of this sentence, while, too light to counterbalance him, on the other side, sat Mary."

Etymology

From counter- + balance.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.