counterbalance

[noun koun-ter-bal-uh ns; verb koun-ter-bal-uh ns]

See more synonyms for counterbalance on Thesaurus.com

noun

a weight balancing another weight; an equal weight, power, or influence acting in opposition; counterpoise.

verb (used with or without object), coun·ter·bal·anced, coun·ter·bal·anc·ing.

to act against or oppose with an equal weight, force, or influence; offset.

Origin of counterbalance

First recorded in 1570–80; counter- + balance

Related formsun·coun·ter·bal·anced, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for counterbalance on Thesaurus.com

2. correct, countervail, rectify, balance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for counterbalance

Contemporary Examples

As an alternative religious player, says Greaves, the Satanic Temple provides yet another “counterbalance.”
Satan Is Coming to Oklahoma
Michelle Cottle
December 10, 2013
The goal: to get them to reconsider Likud as a counterbalance to Bennett's scary religiosity.
Netanyahu's Feminist Posturing
Elisheva Goldberg
January 3, 2013
Like it or not, some companies will need to function as a counterbalance if publishers are to survive as a species.
Why Random and Penguin Must Merge—And When They Almost Did
Gayle Feldman
November 9, 2012
So to counterbalance the Court's criticism of our ancestors, let me say a word in their praise: they left us free to change.
Supremes Won't Save GOP From Itself on Obamacare
David Frum
March 28, 2012
He used their weight to counterbalance them, each with one foot on the ground.
Europe's Dangerous Sex Craze
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 16, 2011

Historical Examples

In places our combined efforts could but just counterbalance the strength of the current.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White
Something must be done to counterbalance this certain loss to the Confederates.
Charles Carleton Coffin
William Elliot Griffis, D. D.
But the gift of life to the young is ever a counterbalance to every evil that is less than death.
Fardorougha, The Miser
William Carleton
We must allow it to counterbalance breaches of ordinary courtesy.
The Tragic Comedians, Complete
George Meredith
But if she works for me she will more than counterbalance the fact that I am a stranger to the town.
The Day of Judgment
Joseph Hocking

British Dictionary definitions for counterbalance

counterbalance

noun (ˈkaʊntəˌbæləns)

a weight or force that balances or offsets another

verb (ˌkaʊntəˈbæləns) (tr)

to act as a counterbalance

Also called: counterpoise

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

Word Origin and History for counterbalance

v.

1570s, from counter- + balance (v.), in reference to scales. Figurative use dates from 1630s. As a noun, from c.1600.

counterbalance

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}counterbalance

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for counterbalance

Contemporary Examples

As an alternative religious player, says Greaves, the Satanic Temple provides yet another “counterbalance.”

The goal: to get them to reconsider Likud as a counterbalance to Bennett's scary religiosity.

Like it or not, some companies will need to function as a counterbalance if publishers are to survive as a species.

So to counterbalance the Court's criticism of our ancestors, let me say a word in their praise: they left us free to change.

He used their weight to counterbalance them, each with one foot on the ground.

Historical Examples

In places our combined efforts could but just counterbalance the strength of the current.

Something must be done to counterbalance this certain loss to the Confederates.

But the gift of life to the young is ever a counterbalance to every evil that is less than death.

We must allow it to counterbalance breaches of ordinary courtesy.

But if she works for me she will more than counterbalance the fact that I am a stranger to the town.

counterbalance

Word Origin and History for counterbalance

v.

Origin of counterbalance