a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.
something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.
mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.
a state of bodily equilibrium.
He lost his balance and fell down the stairs.
an instrument for determining weight, typically by the equilibrium of a bar with a fulcrum at the center, from each end of which is suspended a scale or pan, one holding an object of known weight, and the other holding the object to be weighed.
the remainder or rest.
He carried what he could and left the balance for his brother to bring.
the power or ability to decide an outcome by throwing one's strength, influence, support, or the like, to one side or the other.
(in winemaking) the degree to which all the attributes of a wine are in harmony, with none either too prominent or deficient.
Accounting.
equality between the totals of the two sides of an account.
the difference between the debit total and the credit total of an account.
unpaid difference represented by the excess of debits over credits.
an adjustment of accounts.
the act of balancing; comparison as to weight, amount, importance, etc.; estimate.
preponderating weight.
The balance of the blame is on your side.
Fine Arts. composition or placement of elements of design, as figures, forms, or colors, in such a manner as to produce an aesthetically pleasing or harmoniously integrated whole.
Dance. a balancing movement.
Also called balance wheel. Horology. a wheel that oscillates against the tension of a hairspring to regulate the beats of a watch or clock.
Astronomy, Astrology. Balance, the constellation or sign of Libra; Scales.
Audio. (in a stereophonic sound system) the comparative loudness of two speakers, usually set by a control balancecontrol on the amplifier or receiver.
to bring to or hold in equilibrium; poise.
to balance a book on one's head.
to arrange, adjust, or proportion the parts of symmetrically.
to be equal or proportionate to.
I'm always happy when cash on hand balances expected expenses.
One side of an equation must balance the other.
Accounting.
to add up the two sides of (an account) and determine the difference.
to make the necessary entries in (an account) so that the sums of the two sides will be equal.
to settle by paying what remains due on an account; equalize or adjust.
to weigh in a balance.
to estimate the relative weight or importance of; compare.
to balance all the probabilities of a situation.
to serve as a counterpoise to; counterbalance; offset.
The advantages more than balance the disadvantages.
Dance. to move in rhythm to and from.
to balance one's partner.
to have an equality or equivalence in weight, parts, etc.; be in equilibrium.
The account doesn't balance.
Do these scales balance?
Accounting. to reckon or adjust accounts.
to waver or hesitate.
He would balance and temporize endlessly before reaching a decision.
Dance. to move forward and backward or in opposite directions.
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.
a weighing device, generally consisting of a horizontal beam pivoted at its centre, from the ends of which two pans are suspended. The substance to be weighed is placed in one pan and known weights are placed in the other until the beam returns to the horizontal See also microbalance
an imagined device for assessing events, actions, motives, etc, in relation to each other (esp in the phrases weigh in the balance , hang in the balance )
a state of equilibrium
something that brings about such a state
equilibrium of the body; steadiness
to lose one's balance
emotional stability; calmness of mind
harmony in the parts of a whole
balance in an artistic composition
the act of weighing factors, quantities, etc, against each other
the power to influence or control
he held the balance of power
something that remains or is left
let me have the balance of what you owe me
accounting
equality of debit and credit totals in an account
a difference between such totals
chem the state of a chemical equation in which the number, kind, electrical charges, etc, of the atoms on opposite sides are equal
a balancing movement
short for spring balance
in an uncertain or undecided condition
after weighing up all the factors
to make a compromise
(tr) to weigh in or as if in a balance
(intr) to be or come into equilibrium
(tr) to bring into or hold in equilibrium
(tr) to assess or compare the relative weight, importance, etc, of
(tr) to act so as to equalize; be equal to
(tr) to compose or arrange so as to create a state of harmony
(tr) to bring (a chemical or mathematical equation) into balance
(tr) accounting
to compute the credit and debit totals of (an account) in order to determine the difference
to equalize the credit and debit totals of (an account) by making certain entries
to settle or adjust (an account) by paying any money due
(intr) (of a business account, balance sheet, etc) to have the debit and credit totals equal
to match or counter (one's dancing partner or his or her steps) by moving towards and away from him or her
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English balaunce, from Anglo-French; Old French balance from Vulgar Latin balancia (unrecorded), variant of bilancia (unrecorded), equivalent to Late Latin bilanc- (stem of bilanx “with double scales,” from Latin bi- bi- 1 + lanx “metal dish, pan of a pair of scales”) + -ia -ia
First recorded in 1765–75; from French, noun use of past participle of balancer “to balance, swing, rock”
Balance is having the right amount — not too much or too little — of any quality, which leads to harmony or evenness. You might admire the balance someone has achieved between working hard and having fun. The noun form of balance can also describe finances: If you're making monthly payments on a loan, the total amount you still owe is the balance. Balance is also the physical steadiness that keeps you on your feet. You balance your weight between both sides of your body. Balance has a verb form that has several shades of meaning, typically involving one thing correctly weighed against another, like when you balance your budget.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Warsh “could tip the balance of the scale in whichever way he wants,” said Jonathan Pingle, chief U.S. economist at UBS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
And more than 32,000 individuals had more than $10 million each in tax-sheltered retirement accounts, with an average balance of $17 million.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Its half-year results are set to be published on 29 July, but on Wednesday the firm announced loans that it said would bolster its balance sheet and fund future product plans.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Early indications point to improving supply-demand balance, supporting a more constructive egg pricing environment heading into the fall, which is historically a seasonally stronger period,” he noted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“I have to—” Ridge stumbled ahead, clutching the wall for balance.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Puma are one behind with 11, with other brands such as New Balance making up the numbers.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
It’s a good lesson for anyone with dough: Balance your own needs with the needs of others, because you never know when the tide will go out.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
Balance, it seems, is merely an afterthought — or disregarded entirely.
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
Balance, by definition, inherently involves equal consideration of more than one point of view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
Balance is everything, riding out time like a helmless sheep-boat, keel to hellward, mast upreared to prick out heaven’s eye.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Similar to Wyden and Neal, the Biden administration proposed a cap on aggregate balances of more than $10 million.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
More than 1,000 individuals had IRA balances of at least $25 million in 2024, more than double the number with similar-size accounts in 2019.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
At the same time, Burnham has pledged to respect the strict fiscal discipline seen under his predecessor Keir Starmer, whereby the government balances tax receipts with day-to-day state spending.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
"A lot of the other Pacific islands have got really good football teams and it makes those guys really happy," adds Deiye, who balances work as an urban planner in Nauru alongside his football work.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The walls were lined with shelves of bottles, jars, pots, pestles and mortars, and chemists’ balances.
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
In a nicely balanced performance, Alejandra Villanueva’s Mistress Quickly, the play’s go-between and overseer of mischief, embodies the free and easy spirit of Simon’s production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
They’re well off their 2025 highs, but the supply-demand situation in credit markets has remained fairly balanced.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Those simulations show that the churning material near the surface can escape unevenly rather than flowing away in a smooth, balanced pattern.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
But the fairytale stories must be balanced with the competitive edge of the tournament.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
We kindled firewood, set it between rocks, and balanced a metal grate over them, an old thing Togbe had found from the days they used to smoke fish at home.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Economists suggest she can afford to move cautiously, balancing the needs of an economy ripe for recovery with a clear desire to get inflation under control over a reasonably short time frame.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
But balancing the preservation of a booming industry with protectionist rhetoric puts the sector "very easily in the line of fire," he warned.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Hold the racket up and stand, as the coach says, like a surfer balancing on a board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
People still marvel at Miyazaki’s handcrafted backgrounds and his painstaking dedication to balancing its feather-light score with the melodies of flowing water or the gentle crunch of a child’s footfalls on grass and gravel.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Experimentation thus required a deeply problematic balancing act between Platonic idealism and a crude empiricism.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
