counterweight

American  

[koun-ter-weyt] / ˈkaʊn tərˌweɪt /

noun

1. a weight used as a counterbalance.

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verb (used with object)

1. to balance or equip with a counterweight.

counterweight British  

/ ˈkaʊntəˌweɪt /

noun

1. a counterbalancing weight, influence, or force

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Other Word Forms

• counterweighted adjective

Etymology

Origin of counterweight

First recorded in 1685–95; counter- + weight

Example Sentences

Under these conditions, Japan is in a position to play an even greater geopolitical role than simply a regional counterweight to China.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the necessity of having such a counterweight, and the choice of the labor movement as the obvious contender, is getting more bipartisan attention these days than at any time in recent memory.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gilligan also created “Pluribus” as a counterweight to the antihero era he helped define by contributing two unforgettable linchpins, Walter White and Saul Goodman.

From Salon

Punning on his name, the president dubbed him himayti, "my protector", seeing the RSF as a counterweight to potential coup makers in the regular army and national security.

From BBC

Her Bertha is the kindly, nurturing counterweight to Seth’s badgering boisterousness, a quality Morris infuses with just enough avuncular affection.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• equilibrium