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.

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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

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verb

1. to act as a counterbalance

Other Word Forms

• uncounterbalanced
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of counterbalance

First recorded in 1570–80; counter- + balance

Example Sentences

Viewers are meant to think this banal instance of unseemly actions provides a counterbalance to the initial revelation about the other partner, but it’s not in the same moral universe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

“This factor acts as a counterbalance to geopolitical optimism, limiting the magnitude of upward moves.”

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Over the past year, some stores raised prices, cut costs and canceled plans to counterbalance more expensive imports.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 1, 2026

They also sought better relations with the US as a counterbalance to their dependence on China, at a time when the Obama administration was making its celebrated "pivot" to Asia.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

By outlining the cyclotron’s vast potential for advancing the peacetime goals of basic science, Ernest convinced Fosdick that the machine just might serve as a beneficent scientific counterbalance to Hiroshima.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• counteract
• outweigh
• rectify