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Showing results for counterbalance. Search instead for xHamster 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)

counterbalances, present (3rd person singular) counterbalanced, past participle, past counterbalancing present participle
  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

Derived Forms

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Conjugated Forms

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Etymology

Origin of counterbalance

First recorded in 1570–80; counter- + balance

Vocabulary lists containing counterbalance

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.

“Badlands,” where Springsteen exhorts, “talk about a dream, try to make it real,” comes after “Tom Joad” as a counterbalance to the tale of hope and despair that precedes it.

From Salon • May 28, 2026

"And the best way to counterbalance it is with a living example, with reality,"

From BBC • May 20, 2026

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

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Yet fears of layoffs might still act as a counterbalance.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 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

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