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Showing results for counterbalance. Search instead for Counter balance.
Synonyms

counterbalance

American  
[koun-ter-bal-uhns, koun-ter-bal-uhns] / ˈkaʊn tərˌbæl əns, ˌkaʊn tərˈbæl əns /

noun

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

verb (used with or without object)

counterbalanced, counterbalancing

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

    Synonyms:
    balance, rectify, countervail, correct
counterbalance British  

noun

  1. a weight or force that balances or offsets another

"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

verb

  1. to act as a counterbalance

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of counterbalance

First recorded in 1570–80; counter- + balance

Vocabulary lists containing counterbalance

Dance - Middle School and High School

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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.

Yet fears of layoffs might still act as a counterbalance.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

A classical stadium at its end would counterbalance the Greek-temple-inspired Lincoln Memorial at the opposite terminus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Societies would need to eliminate all emissions they reasonably can, then counterbalance the "residual" emissions that cannot be removed.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2025

"The recent rally was extremely steep, so this is the counterbalance."

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

Then Du Bois tore into Washington for the older man’s lack of a spiritual counterbalance to “the evils of Get and Grab.”

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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.