# balance

Pronunciation: say "BAL-uhns" /ˈbæləns/

## Noun

1. A state in which opposing forces or weights are evenly matched, including the steady body position that keeps a person from falling.
   - Simple: A state where forces or weights are even, including staying steady on your feet so you do not fall.
   - _She lost her balance on the icy step and fell._
   - _The treaty preserved a fragile balance of power between the two nations._
3. The difference between the credits and debits of an account; the amount remaining.
   - Simple: The amount of money left in an account after adding and taking away.
   - _The accountant reconciled the balance at the end of each month._
   - _A negative balance means the company owes more than it holds._
4. A sense of harmony in a work of art arising from the agreement of differing colors, sounds, or elements.
   - Simple: A pleasing match between different colors, sounds, or parts in a work of art.
   - _Critics praised the mural's balance of warm and cool tones._
   - _The composer achieved a delicate balance between strings and brass._
7. The amount that remains; the part left over after part has been used or paid.
   - Simple: The part of an amount that is left over.
   - _The buyer paid a deposit and settled the balance upon delivery._
   - _Workers will complete the balance of the project by spring._
9. Fair awareness of both sides of an issue; neutrality and objectivity in judgment.
   - Simple: A fair way of seeing both sides of something.
   - _Reporters strive for balance by presenting opposing arguments fairly._
   - _Her review kept its balance, praising and criticizing in equal measure._
10. Mental steadiness; a calm, clear-headed state in which one stays composed and untroubled.
   - Simple: A calm, steady state of mind that helps you think clearly.
   - _He regained his emotional balance after weeks of rest._
   - _Keeping your balance under pressure is the mark of a good leader._
11. A statement listing the debits on one side and the credits on the other.
   - Simple: A record showing money coming in on one side and money going out on the other.
   - _Before closing the books, the accountant ran a trial balance to make sure total debits equaled total credits._
   - _The auditor found a typing error after the trial balance came out a few dollars off._
12. The overall outcome of conflicting forces or opinions; the influence that finally weighs more than the rest.
   - Simple: The side that finally counts most when forces or opinions pull against each other.
   - _The balance of power tilted toward the smaller party after the vote._
   - _New evidence shifted the balance against the defendant._
14. A counterweight; something of equal weight that offsets another to maintain equilibrium.
   - Simple: Something used on one side to even out a weight on the other side.
   - _The crane's rear weight serves as a balance for the load it lifts._
   - _In the essay, hope acts as a balance to despair._
15. An instrument for weighing things, traditionally a beam with two pans on which an unknown weight is compared against known ones.
   - Simple: A tool for weighing things, especially the old kind with two pans that compares one weight with another.
   - _The chemist weighed the powder on a precision balance._
   - _Justice is often shown holding a balance in one hand._

## Verb

2. To bring concepts or demands into agreement, making them fit together without conflict.
   - Simple: To make different ideas or needs fit together well.
   - _The new schedule tries to balance the needs of working parents with the length of the school day._
   - _Writers must balance clarity with depth when explaining hard ideas._
5. To stay, or keep something, in a steady position without falling or tipping over.
   - Simple: To stay steady without falling, or to hold something so it does not fall.
   - _Standing on one foot, the little girl balanced for almost a minute before she wobbled._
   - _Dancers must balance perfectly before attempting the lift._
6. To bring items to an even weight, as by adjusting the weights on a pair of scales until both sides match.
   - Simple: To adjust weights so that two sides weigh the same.
   - _The jeweler balanced the scales by adjusting tiny brass weights._
   - _Engineers balance a rotating wheel so it spins without wobbling._
8. Of accounts, to have credits and debits that match, or to make them match.
   - Simple: To make the money coming in and going out in an account add up correctly.
   - _The treasurer balanced the company's books before the annual meeting._
   - _Small businesses must balance their ledgers each quarter._
13. To weigh things against each other in order to compare their relative importance, value, or force.
   - Simple: To weigh two things against each other to see which matters more.
   - _Voters must balance economic promises against environmental concerns at the ballot box._
   - _The committee balanced the proposal's potential benefits against its long-term costs._

## Noun

16. A former name for Libra, the seventh sign of the zodiac, represented by a pair of scales. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An old name for the zodiac sign Libra, shown as a pair of scales.

## Verb

17. To weigh something in a pair of scales. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To weigh something using a set of scales.
18. To waver between choices; to hesitate or fluctuate. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To be unsure and keep changing your mind between choices.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A regulating device in a watch or clock that governs the speed of its movement.
- (verb) In dance, to move toward another dancer and then back again in a matching, reciprocal motion.
- (verb) To reduce a sail to a narrower spread by contracting part of it.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English balaunce, from Old French balance, which traces back through Late Latin *bilancia to Latin bilanx ('two-scaled'), formed from bi- plus lanx ('plate, scale'). It displaced the older Old English wǣġ (source of Modern English 'wey').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/balance (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).