overbalance
Americanverb (used with object)
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to outweigh.
The opportunity overbalances the disadvantages of leaving town.
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to cause to lose balance or to fall or turn over.
He accidentally overbalanced a vase.
noun
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an excessive weight or amount.
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something that more than balances or more than equals.
An overbalance of imports depleted the country's treasury.
verb
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to lose or cause to lose balance
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(tr) another word for outweigh
noun
Etymology
Origin of overbalance
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.
See Examples For:
Consider the overbalance of gloss-black surfaces—not just the grille form but the roof, roof racks, roof pillars, bumpers, mirror caps, rear diffuser thingy, deep-tinted rear glass and heavy window masking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Linda Deegan, who had studied coastal ecology at the Marine Biological laboratory in Woodshole, Massachusetts found that overbalance of nitrogen makes marsh plants grow taller and leafier, but with fewer, weaker roots.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2021
This book is important and in certain ways I admired Barnett’s decision to overbalance her and her clients’ struggles with joy.
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2020
If the managers of the individual ETFs overbalance a certain asset, that concentration risk can be compounded, Magoon says.
From US News ● Sep. 30, 2016
Immediately I’d try to fix it by shifting my weight to the other side, but often I’d go too far and overbalance.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
“There was an economy that probably wasn’t balanced, but wasn’t horribly overbalanced in one direction — then that became horribly unbalanced.”
From The Verge ● Apr. 8, 2022
Hubbard overbalanced on her opening weight of 120 kilograms, taking the bar behind her shoulders.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2021
It must give way, the court determined, when overbalanced by the “legitimate needs” of another branch of government—in Nixon, the judiciary—in fulfilling its own constitutional role.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2020
Also, a fund of funds can get overbalanced.
From US News ● Sep. 30, 2016
The man nearly overbalanced, but held on to the rail and swung the boat hook round in another attempt.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
But he is in danger of overbalancing the entire film: this is a rock’n’roll performance from someone who is usually happier with piano sonatas.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 28, 2021
Levin’s playing was heavy-handed and shapeless, chugging mechanically along and sometimes overbalancing Hahn’s more restrained, often vibratoless violin lines.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2016
He leaped, with the words, to the door, lunging against it, sending it crashing back so that it smashed against the wall, overbalancing some boxes that reposed on a shelf and sending them clattering.
From 'Firebrand' Trevison by Ivory, P. V. E. (Percy Van Eman)
“It’s of no use,” he said at last despondently, after nearly overbalancing himself, and feeling very dizzy once more.
From Three Boys or the Chiefs of the Clan Mackhai by Fenn, George Manville
This principle of overbalancing the exciting coils is shown on diagram, Fig.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 433, April 19, 1884 by Various
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.
