counterbalance.
A weight that is put in opposition to an equal weight so it keeps that in balance.
Meaning & usage
A weight that is put in opposition to an equal weight so it keeps that in balance.
A force or influence that balances, checks or limits an opposite one.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Italic *dwi- Latin bi- Latin lanx Latin bilanx Vulgar Latin *bilancia Old French balancebor. Middle English balaunce English balance English counterbalance From counter- + balance.
To apply weight in order to balance an opposing weight.
Big brother counterbalances his two siblings to the pound.
To match or equal in effect when applying opposing force.
Arm wrestling is undecided as long as the opponents counterbalance each other.
The defenders' knowledge of the terrain roughly counterbalances the attackers' superior equipment.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *komterosder. Proto-Italic *komterād Latin contrāder. Old French contre- Anglo-Norman countre-bor. Middle English counter- English counter- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Italic *dwi- Latin bi- Latin lanx Latin bilanx Vulgar Latin *bilancia Old French balancebor. Middle English balaunce English balance English counterbalance From counter- + balance.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.