Library / English Dictionary

BALANCE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A scale for weighing; depends on pull of gravity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

scale; weighing machine (a measuring instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

beam balance (a balance consisting of a lever with two equal arms and a pan suspended from each arm)

electronic balance (a balance that generates a current proportional to the displacement of the pan)

microbalance (balance for weighing very small objects)

spring balance; spring scale (a balance that measure weight by the tension on a helical spring)

beam scale; lever scale; steelyard (a portable balance consisting of a pivoted bar with arms of unequal length)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A wheel that regulates the rate of movement in a machine; especially a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece to regulate its beat

Synonyms:

balance; balance wheel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

wheel (a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines))

Holonyms ("balance" is a part of...):

horologe; timekeeper; timepiece (a measuring instrument or device for keeping time)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A weight that balances another weight

Synonyms:

balance; counterbalance; counterpoise; counterweight; equaliser; equalizer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

weight (an artifact that is heavy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

sash weight (a counterweight for a sliding sash)

tare ((chemical analysis) a counterweight used in chemical analysis; consists of an empty container that counterbalances the weight of the container holding chemicals)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(mathematics) an attribute of a shape or relation; exact reflection of form on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane

Synonyms:

balance; correspondence; symmetricalness; symmetry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

spatial property; spatiality (any property relating to or occupying space)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

geometrical regularity; regularity (a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles)

bilateral symmetry; bilateralism; bilaterality (the property of being symmetrical about a vertical plane)

radial symmetry (the property of symmetry about an axis)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design)

Example:

in all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another and a reciprocal balance

Synonyms:

balance; proportion; proportionality

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

arrangement; placement (the spatial property of the way in which something is placed)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The seventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about September 23 to October 22

Synonyms:

Balance; Libra; Libra the Balance; Libra the Scales

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Instance hypernyms:

house; mansion; planetary house; sign; sign of the zodiac; star sign ((astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided)

Sense 7

Meaning:

(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Libra

Synonyms:

Balance; Libra

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("Balance" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Domain category:

astrology; star divination (a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Equality between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

equality (the quality of being the same in quantity or measure or value or status)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

trial balance (a balance of debits and credits in double-entry bookkeeping; drawn up to test their equality)

Holonyms ("balance" is a part of...):

account; account statement; accounting (a statement of recent transactions and the resulting balance)

Derivation:

balance (compute credits and debits of an account)

Sense 9

Meaning:

The difference between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

difference; remainder (the number that remains after subtraction; the number that when added to the subtrahend gives the minuend)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

invisible balance (the difference in value over a period of time of a country's imports and exports of services and payments of property incomes)

compensating balance; offsetting balance (a minimum credit balance that a bank may require a borrower to keep on deposit as a condition for granting a loan; a common requirement for establishing a line of credit at a bank)

carry-forward; carry-over (the accumulated and undivided profits of a corporation after provision has been made for dividends and reserves)

balance of trade; trade balance; trade gap; visible balance (the difference in value over a period of time of a country's imports and exports of merchandise)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Something left after other parts have been taken away

Example:

he took what he wanted and I got the balance

Synonyms:

balance; remainder; residual; residue; residuum; rest

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

component; component part; constituent; part; portion (something determined in relation to something that includes it)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

leftover; remnant (a small part or portion that remains after the main part no longer exists)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Equality of distribution

Synonyms:

balance; counterbalance; equilibrium; equipoise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

conformation (a symmetrical arrangement of the parts of a thing)

proportion; symmetry (balance among the parts of something)

Sense 12

Meaning:

A state of equilibrium

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("balance" is a kind of...):

equilibrium (a stable situation in which forces cancel one another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "balance"):

tension (a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature))

electrolyte balance (an equilibrium between the amounts of electrolytes (as calcium and sodium and potassium) that is essential for normal health and functioning)

nitrogen balance (the balance between the amount of nitrogen taken in (to the soil or the body) and the amount given off (lost or excreted))

Antonym:

imbalance (a lack of balance or state of disequilibrium)

Derivation:

balance (hold or carry in equilibrium)

balance (bring into balance or equilibrium)

balance (be in equilibrium)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hold or carry in equilibrium

Synonyms:

balance; poise

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "balance" is one way to...):

bear; carry; hold (support or hold in a certain manner)

Verb group:

balance; equilibrate; equilibrise; equilibrize (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "balance"):

juggle (hold with difficulty and balance insecurely)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

balance (a state of equilibrium)

balancer (either of the rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight)

balancer (an acrobat who balances himself in difficult positions)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Compute credits and debits of an account

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "balance" is one way to...):

account; calculate (keep an account of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

balance (equality between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Bring into balance or equilibrium

Example:

balance the two weights

Synonyms:

balance; equilibrate; equilibrise; equilibrize

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "balance" is one way to...):

fit; match (make correspond or harmonize)

Verb group:

balance; poise (hold or carry in equilibrium)

balance (be in equilibrium)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "balance"):

complement (make complete or perfect; supply what is wanting or form the complement to)

compensate; correct; counterbalance; even off; even out; even up; make up (adjust for)

cancel; offset; set off (make up for)

countervail; offset (compensate for or counterbalance)

trim (balance in flight by regulating the control surfaces)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Antonym:

unbalance (throw out of balance or equilibrium)

Derivation:

balance (a state of equilibrium)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be in equilibrium

Example:

He was balancing on one foot

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Hypernyms (to "balance" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Verb group:

balance; equilibrate; equilibrise; equilibrize (bring into balance or equilibrium)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sentence examples:

The children balance in the rocking chair

There balance some children in the rocking chair

Derivation:

balance (a state of equilibrium)

balancer (either of the rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight)

balancer (an acrobat who balances himself in difficult positions)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Some people with Meniere's disease have "drop attacks" during which the dizziness is so bad they lose their balance and fall.

(Meniere's Disease, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

A patient with infantile sacrococcygeal teratoma was found to have a balanced chromosomal translocation t(12;15)(q13;q25) which fuses this gene and the SENP1 gene.

(MESDC2 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent also inhibits the anti-apoptotic mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and modulates the balance between the MAPK and pro-apoptotic stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) pathways, thereby inducing apoptosis.

(Miltefosine, NCI Thesaurus)

It helps control the balance of water and salts in the kidney by keeping sodium in and releasing potassium from the body.

(Aldosterone, NCI Dictionary)

Hormones made from cholesterol and protein produced by the adrenal glands and regulate electrolyte balance, blood pressure, inflammation, blood sugar balance, and immune system control.

(Adrenal Hormone, NCI Thesaurus)

A balance of proteins in cells helps maintain health, but an unhealthy clumping can lead to a variety of diseases, including those connected to aging such as Alzheimer's.

(New Pathway for Handling Stress Discovered, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Its health depends on the balance between your own cells and the millions of microbes—including bacteria, fungi, and viruses—that live on its surface.

(Skin microbes fairly stable over time, NIH)

As we age, these protein carriers, as well as other proteins that control the balance, or homeostasis, of cholesterol in the brain become less effective.

(Brain cholesterol associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, University of Cambridge)

This balance is, however, depending on the stability provided by the Ross Island pinning point, which the new study identifies as a point of future vulnerability.

(Rapid melting of the world’s largest ice shelf linked to solar heat in the ocean, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Other factors also contribute to 'gator patterns of movement, such as temperature and precipitation, which are linked with their need to balance salt intake.

(Alligators, rulers of the swamps, link marine and freshwater ecosystems, NSF)