balancest

Verb

balance (third-person singular simple present balances, present participle balancing, simple past and past participle balanced)

1. (transitive) To bring (items) to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights.

   Synonyms:

   equilibrate

   1. (intransitive, reflexive, transitive) To move while remaining balanced on a narrow or precarious support (e.g., a wire, ledge or rope).
      • She balanced along the wire while the crowd watched in rapt attention.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To make (concepts) agree.
   • the Proteus Principle helps to qualify and balance the concepts of narrators and of narrative situations as previously developed in classical studies by G erard Genette and Franz Stanzel.2014, Peter Melville Logan, Olakunle George, Susan Hegeman, The Encyclopedia of the Novel
3. (transitive) To hold (an object or objects) precariously; to support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling.
   • I balanced my mug of coffee on my knee.
4. (transitive) To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.
   • Ballance the Good and Evil of Things.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC
5. (transitive) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally.
   • to balance partners

See all 25 meanings of balance