counterbalance
Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
counterbalancesimple
-
counterbalancessimple
-
have counterbalancedperfect
-
has counterbalancedperfect
-
am counterbalancingprogressive
-
are counterbalancingprogressive
-
is counterbalancingprogressive
-
have been counterbalancingperfect progressive
-
has been counterbalancingperfect progressive
Past
-
counterbalancedsimple
-
had counterbalancedperfect
-
was counterbalancingprogressive
-
were counterbalancingprogressive
-
had been counterbalancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of counterbalance
Vocabulary lists containing counterbalance
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.
“Badlands,” where Springsteen exhorts, “talk about a dream, try to make it real,” comes after “Tom Joad” as a counterbalance to the tale of hope and despair that precedes it.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
The head of SpaceX and Tesla argued that he wanted to counterbalance Google's dominance and ensure that transformative AI technology -- which he has warned poses risks to humanity -- remain free from profit-driven pressures.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
While the rise of Catholicism in Africa serves as a counterbalance to the growing secularization of the West, it comes with its own set of challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Because the wealthy are ideologically diverse, their participation can counterbalance these different forms of elite power.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026
Then Du Bois tore into Washington for the older man’s lack of a spiritual counterbalance to “the evils of Get and Grab.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
![]()
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.