balance

noun

a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.

mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.

a state of bodily equilibrium: He lost his balance and fell down the stairs.

an instrument for determining weight, typically by the equilibrium of a bar with a fulcrum at the center, from each end of which is suspended a scale or pan, one holding an object of known weight, and the other holding the object to be weighed.

the remainder or rest: He carried what he could and left the balance for his brother to bring.

the power or ability to decide an outcome by throwing one's strength, influence, support, or the like, to one side or the other.

(in winemaking) the degree to which all the attributes of a wine are in harmony, with none either too prominent or deficient.

Accounting.

equality between the totals of the two sides of an account.

the difference between the debit total and the credit total of an account.

unpaid difference represented by the excess of debits over credits.

10.

an adjustment of accounts.

11.

the act of balancing; comparison as to weight, amount, importance, etc.; estimate.

12.

preponderating weight: The balance of the blame is on your side.

13.

Fine Arts. composition or placement of elements of design, as figures, forms, or colors, in such a manner as to produce an aesthetically pleasing or harmoniously integrated whole.

14.

Dance. a balancing movement.

15.

Also called balance wheel. Horology. a wheel that oscillates against the tension of a hairspring to regulate the beats of a watch or clock.

16.

( initial capital letter ) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of libra; Scales.

17.

Audio. (in a stereophonic sound system) the comparative loudness of two speakers, usually set by a control (balance control) on the amplifier or receiver.

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verb (used with object)

18.

to bring to or hold in equilibrium; poise: to balance a book on one's head.

19.

to arrange, adjust, or proportion the parts of symmetrically.

20.

to be equal or proportionate to: I'm always happy when cash on hand balances expected expenses. One side of an equation must balance the other.

21.

Accounting.

to add up the two sides of (an account) and determine the difference.

to make the necessary entries in (an account) so that the sums of the two sides will be equal.

to settle by paying what remains due on an account; equalize or adjust.

22.

to weigh in a balance.

23.

to estimate the relative weight or importance of; compare: to balance all the probabilities of a situation.

24.

to serve as a counterpoise to; counterbalance; offset: The advantages more than balance the disadvantages.

25.

Dance. to move in rhythm to and from: to balance one's partner.

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verb (used without object)

26.

to have an equality or equivalence in weight, parts, etc.; be in equilibrium: The account doesn't balance. Do these scales balance?

27.

Accounting. to reckon or adjust accounts.

28.

to waver or hesitate: He would balance and temporize endlessly before reaching a decision.

29.

Dance. to move forward and backward or in opposite directions.

Idioms

30.

in the balance, with the outcome in doubt or suspense: While the jury deliberated, his fate rested in the balance.

31.

on balance, considering all aspects: On balance, the new product is doing well.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English balaunce < Anglo-French; Old French balance < Vulgar Latin *balancia, variant of *bilancia, equivalent to Late Latin bilanc- (stem of bilanx with double scales; Latin bi- bi-¹ + lanx metal dish, pan of a pair of scales) + -ia -ia

Related forms

bal·ance·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms
3. poise, composure. 6. See remainder. 13. See symmetry.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun, plural bal·an·cés

[bal-uh

n-seyz; French ba-lahn-sey] . Ballet.

a swaying step performed in place in which the weight is lightly shifted from one foot to the other, the dancer sinking down on the heel of the foot to which the body is shifting, with flexed knees.

Origin:
< French, noun use of past participle of balancer to balance, swing, rock

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Balance

Collins

World English Dictionary

balance (ˈbæləns)

—n
1.	See also microbalance a weighing device, generally consisting of a horizontal beam pivoted at its centre, from the ends of which two pans are suspended. The substance to be weighed is placed in one pan and known weights are placed in the other until the beam returns to the horizontal
2.	an imagined device for assessing events, actions, motives, etc, in relation to each other (esp in the phrases weigh in the balance, hang in the balance)
3.	a state of equilibrium
4.	something that brings about such a state
5.	equilibrium of the body; steadiness: to lose one's balance
6.	emotional stability; calmness of mind
7.	harmony in the parts of a whole: balance in an artistic composition
8.	the act of weighing factors, quantities, etc, against each other
9.	the power to influence or control: he held the balance of power
10.	something that remains or is left: let me have the balance of what you owe me
11.	accounting
	a. equality of debit and credit totals in an account
	b. a difference between such totals
12.	chem the state of a chemical equation in which the number, kind, electrical charges, etc, of the atoms on opposite sides are equal
13.	a balancing movement
14.	short for spring balance
15.	in the balance in an uncertain or undecided condition
16.	on balance after weighing up all the factors
17.	strike a balance to make a compromise

—vb
18.	(tr) to weigh in or as if in a balance
19.	(intr) to be or come into equilibrium
20.	(tr) to bring into or hold in equilibrium
21.	(tr) to assess or compare the relative weight, importance, etc, of
22.	(tr) to act so as to equalize; be equal to
23.	(tr) to compose or arrange so as to create a state of harmony
24.	(tr) to bring (a chemical or mathematical equation) into balance
25.	(tr) accounting
	a. to compute the credit and debit totals of (an account) in order to determine the difference
	b. to equalize the credit and debit totals of (an account) by making certain entries
	c. to settle or adjust (an account) by paying any money due
26.	(intr) (of a business account, balance sheet, etc) to have the debit and credit totals equal
27.	to match or counter (one's dancing partner or his or her steps) by moving towards and away from him or her

[C13: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin bilancia (unattested), from Late Latin bilanx having two scalepans, from bi-¹ + lanx scale]

'balanceable

—*adj*

Balance (ˈbæləns)

—n
	the Balance the constellation Libra, the seventh sign of the zodiac

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

balance

late 13c., "apparatus for weighing," from O.Fr. balance (12c.) "balance, scales for weighing," also in the figurative sense; from M.L. bilancia, from L.L. bilanx (acc. bilancem), from L. (libra) bilanx "(scale) having two pans," possibly from L. bis "twice" + lanx "dish, plate, scale of a balance." The

accounting sense is from 1580s; the meaning "general harmony between parts" is from 1732; sense of "physical equipoise" is from 1660s. The verb is attested from 1570s. Balance of power in the geopolitical sense is from 1701; balanced meal, diet, etc. is from 1908.

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

balance bal·ance (bāl'əns)
n.

A weighing device, especially one consisting of a rigid beam horizontally suspended by a low-friction support at its center, with identical weighing pans hung at either end, one of which holds an unknown weight while the effective weight in the other is increased by known amounts until the beam is level and motionless.
A state of bodily equilibrium.
The difference in magnitude between opposing forces or influences, such as for bodily parts or organs.
Equality of mass and net electric charge of reacting species on each side of a chemical equation.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

balance

(bāl'əns) Pronunciation Key
To adjust a chemical equation so that the number of each type of atom and the total charge on the reactant (left-hand) side of the equation matches the number and charge on the product (right-hand) side of the equation.

Easton

Bible Dictionary

Balance definition

occurs in Lev. 19:36 and Isa. 46:6, as the rendering of the Hebrew _kanch'_, which properly means "a reed" or "a cane," then a rod or beam of a balance. This same word is translated "measuring reed" in Ezek. 40:3,5; 42:16-18. There is another Hebrew word, _mozena'yim_, i.e., "two poisers", also so rendered (Dan. 5:27). The balances as represented on the most ancient Egyptian monuments resemble those now in use. A "pair of balances" is a symbol of justice and fair dealing (Job 31:6; Ps. 62:9; Prov. 11:1). The expression denotes great want and scarcity in Rev. 6:5.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

balance

In addition to the idiom beginning with balance, also see checks and balances; hang in the balance; off balance; on balance; redress the balance; strike a balance; tip the balance.