off balance
Idioms-
Out of equilibrium, unsteady, as in When learning how to ride a two-wheeler, it's easy to get off balance and fall , or She stood up and threw the canoe off balance . [Mid-1900s]
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Surprised, unprepared, as in The teacher gives unannounced tests to keep the class off balance . [Second half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These include future data-center lease commitments of $662 billion that sit off balance sheet at present.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Chronic stress is widely known to throw digestion off balance, leading to symptoms like diarrhea or constipation.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026
Senior Ray Pelayo of San Fernando kept throwing strikes, keeping El Camino Real off balance for 7⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
But as he hurled his partner high above the ice, he was thrown off balance by grammar and umlauts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
And just like our tilting earth, Amari was off balance, hurt by her words.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
