hang in the balance

1. Be in a precarious condition or in a state of suspense. For example, The doctor said her life was hanging in the balance. This expression alludes to the suspended balance scale where an object is placed in one pan and weights are added one by one to the other pan until the two are balanced. [First half of 1400s]

Example Sentences

US government agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programs hang in the balance.

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But “not when the funding of the federal government, and all the lives that are impacted by it, hang in the balance.”

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So many lives in Gaza still hang in the balance.

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Their futures hang in the balance, reliant on local government funding or fighting against stigma to gain employment.

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Apart from China, duties for many other countries also hang in the balance.

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