balance
verb/ˈbæləns/
/ˈbæləns/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they balance | /ˈbæləns/ /ˈbæləns/ |
| he / she / it balances | /ˈbælənsɪz/ /ˈbælənsɪz/ |
| past simple balanced | /ˈbælənst/ /ˈbælənst/ |
| past participle balanced | /ˈbælənst/ /ˈbælənst/ |
| -ing form balancing | /ˈbælənsɪŋ/ /ˈbælənsɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to put your body or something else into a position where it is steady and does not fall
- balance on something How long can you balance on one leg?
- balance something on something Her laptop was precariously balanced on top of a pile of books.
- She balanced the cup on her knee.
- He balanced the glasses carefully on the tray.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carefully
- delicately
- precariously
- …
- on
- [transitive] balance A with/and B to give equal importance to two things or parts of something which are very different
- They try to balance the needs of their children with those of their employers.
- The song perfectly balances melody and rhythm.
Extra Examples- She tries to balance home life and career.
- The plan seeks to balance two important objectives.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- beautifully
- delicately
- evenly
- …
- have to
- need to
- seek to
- …
- against
- with
- [intransitive, transitive] to be equal in value, amount, etc. to something else that has the opposite effect synonym offset
- balance out The good and bad effects of any decision will usually balance out.
- balance something out This year's profits will balance out our previous losses.
- be balanced by something His lack of experience was balanced by a willingness to learn.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- beautifully
- delicately
- evenly
- …
- have to
- need to
- seek to
- …
- against
- with
- [transitive] balance A against B to compare the relative importance of two things which are different
- The cost of obtaining legal advice needs to be balanced against its benefits.
- We have to balance the risks of the new strategy against the possible benefits.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- beautifully
- delicately
- evenly
- …
- have to
- need to
- seek to
- …
- against
- with
- [transitive] balance something to manage finances so that the money spent is equal to the money received; to show this in the accounts
- In order to balance the budget severe spending cuts had to be made.
- The law requires the council to balance its books each year.
- [intransitive] (of an account) to have an equal amount of money spent and money received
- I tried to work out why the books wouldn't balance.
keep steady
be/keep equal
compare
money
Word OriginMiddle English (in sense 5 of the noun): from Old French balance (noun), balancer (verb), based on late Latin (libra) bilanx ‘(balance) having two scale pans’, from bi- ‘twice, having two’ + lanx ‘scale pan’.
Check pronunciation:
balance