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balance

[ bal-uhns ]
/ ˈbæl əns /
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See synonyms for: balance / balanced / balancing on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), bal·anced, bal·anc·ing.
verb (used without object), bal·anced, bal·anc·ing.
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Idioms about balance

    in the balance, with the outcome in doubt or suspense: While the jury deliberated, his fate rested in the balance.
    on balance, considering all aspects: On balance, the new product is doing well.

Origin of balance

1250–1300; Middle English balaunce from Anglo-French; Old French balance from unattested Vulgar Latin balancia, variant of unattested bilancia, equivalent to Late Latin bilanc- (stem of bilanx “with double scales”; Latin bi- bi-1 + lanx “metal dish, pan of a pair of scales”) + -ia -ia

synonym study for balance

6. See remainder. 13. See symmetry.

OTHER WORDS FROM balance

bal·ance·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for balance (2 of 2)

balancé
[ bal-uhn-sey; French ba-lahn-sey ]
/ ˌbæl ənˈseɪ; French ba lɑ̃ˈseɪ /

noun, plural bal·an·cés [bal-uhn-seyz; French ba-lahn-sey]. /ˌbæl ənˈseɪz; French ba lɑ̃ˈseɪ/. Ballet.
a swaying step performed in place in which the weight is lightly shifted from one foot to the other, the dancer sinking down on the heel of the foot to which the body is shifting, with flexed knees.

Origin of balancé

<French, noun use of past participle of balancer to balance, swing, rock
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use balance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for balance (1 of 2)

balance
/ (ˈbæləns) /

noun
verb

Derived forms of balance

balanceable, adjective

Word Origin for balance

C13: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin bilancia (unattested), from Late Latin bilanx having two scalepans, from bi- 1 + lanx scale

British Dictionary definitions for balance (2 of 2)

Balance
/ (ˈbæləns) /

noun
the Balance the constellation Libra, the seventh sign of the zodiac
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

Scientific definitions for balance

balance
[ băləns ]

To adjust a chemical equation so that the number of each type of atom and the total charge on the reactant (left-hand) side of the equation matches the number and charge on the product (right-hand) side of the equation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with balance

balance

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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