unbalance
Americanverb (used with object)
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to throw or put out of balance.
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to disorder or derange, as the mind.
noun
verb
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to upset the equilibrium or balance of
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to disturb the mental stability of (a person or his mind)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unbalancesimple
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unbalancessimple
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have unbalancedperfect
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has unbalancedperfect
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am unbalancingprogressive
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are unbalancingprogressive
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is unbalancingprogressive
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have been unbalancingperfect progressive
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has been unbalancingperfect progressive
Past
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unbalancedsimple
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had unbalancedperfect
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was unbalancingprogressive
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were unbalancingprogressive
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had been unbalancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unbalance
Explanation
To unbalance is to make unsteady or uneven. A sudden gust of wind might unbalance you when you're on a sailboat — don't forget to wear a life jacket! Throw something off balance, and you unbalance it. Tickling someone who's in a one-legged yoga stance will unbalance them, and leaning too far to one side will unbalance a new bike rider. You can also call this state of being out of kilter or wobbly unbalance: "The unbalance of the tightrope walker made me glad there was a net underneath him!" And figuratively, unbalance can also mean "disturb or upset."
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.
A rash of late summer signings seemed like a quick fix and created an unbalance to the side that Nice coach Lucien Favre has yet to resolve.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2022
He rejected any suggestion that such financial support for a specific investigation could unbalance the court's caseload.
From Reuters • Mar. 14, 2022
"Snakes are usually predators on small mammals, frogs. This impact may result in an unimaginable unbalance in the ecosystem."
From BBC • Dec. 16, 2021
At every opportunity, she tried using her creativity and speed to unbalance Chicago.
From Washington Post • Nov. 20, 2021
Gingersnipes, still cackling, threw her head back with enough force to unbalance her squat body.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
