balance of power


noun
  1. a distribution and opposition of forces among nations such that no single nation is strong enough to assert its will or dominate all the others.

Origin of balance of power

1
First recorded in 1570–80

Words Nearby balance of power

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How to use balance of power in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for balance of power

balance of power

noun
  1. the distribution of power among countries so that no one nation can seriously threaten the fundamental interests of another

  2. any similar distribution of power or influence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for balance of power

balance of power

A state of peace that results when rival nations are equally powerful and therefore have no good reason to wage war.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.