balance beam
Americannoun
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a narrow wooden rail about 16 feet (5 meters) long and 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide, set horizontally on upright posts about 4 feet (1.2 meters) from the floor, used for performing feats of balancing and demonstrating gymnastic ability.
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a competitive gymnastic event for women in which such an apparatus is used.
Etymology
Origin of balance beam
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Sullivan competed in all events for the first time this season and scored a 9.775 on the balance beam.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
The team’s dismounts were nearly perfect against Nebraska, especially on the balance beam.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026
Oklahoma scored a 49.615 on balance beam, an event in which it is ranked No. 1 nationally.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2025
Closing the national championship on balance beam, seniors Emily Lee and Emma Malabuyo book-ended the Bruins final rotation with a 9.9250 and a 9.9375, respectively.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2025
The only bonding our coaches intended on us doing was with the vault table, the uneven bars, the balance beam, and the training floor.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
