Balance Good Find ˈbæləns Extra Examples Amount Presentation

• this newspaper maintains a good balance in its presentation of different opinions.
• tourists often disturb the delicate balance of nature on the island.
• his wife's death disturbed the balance of his mind.
• try to keep a balance between work and relaxation.

balance

1. a situation in which different things exist in equal, correct or good amounts
• SEE ALSO work-life balance
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/work-life-balance
• This newspaper maintains a good balance in its presentation of different opinions.
• Tourists often disturb the delicate balance of nature on the island.
• His wife's death disturbed the balance of his mind.
• Try to keep a balance between work and relaxation.
• It is important to keep the different aspects of your life in balance.

Extra Examples

• How do you find an acceptable balance between closeness and distance in a relationship?
• Pulling up all the plants will disturb the natural balance of the pond.
• There is an even gender balance among staff and students.
• With children, it is important to achieve the right balance between love and discipline.
• You have to maintain a balance in your life or else you'll go crazy.
• The diet should contain a healthy balance of foods.
• Does the course offer the right balance between academic and practical work?
2. the ability to keep steady with an equal amount of weight on each side of the body
• Athletes need a good sense of balance.
• I struggled to keep my balance on my new skates.
• She cycled round the corner, lost her balance and fell off.

Extra Examples

• Cats have a very good sense of balance.
• Gymnasts have excellent balance.
• He set his feet wider and adjusted his balance.
• Tightness in one set of muscles will affect your whole balance.
• Yoga improves balance as well as flexibility.
3. the amount that is left after taking numbers or money away from a total
• to check your bank balance (= to find out how much money there is in your account)
• Consider a balance transfer to a credit card with a lower rate of interest (= = moving the amount owed from one card to another).

Extra Examples

• Everyone likes to have a healthy bank balance.
• He asked the cashier for the balance of his current account.
• Interest is calculated on the daily cleared balance and paid direct to your account.
• The balance of the proceeds will be used for new equipment.
• That figure is the balance brought forward from the previous year.
4. an amount of money still owed after some payment has been made
• The balance of $500 must be paid within 90 days.
• I'll pay the balance later.
• The final balance is due six weeks before departure.
5. the largest part of a group or an amount; the position of advantage or attention
• The balance of opinion was that work was more important than leisure.
• The balance has now shifted from the unions to employers.

Extra Examples

• The balance of economists are expecting a rise in interest rates.
• He argues that the balance has swung too far in favour of capitalism.
6. an instrument for weighing things, with a bar that is supported in the middle and has dishes hanging from each end
7. (considering) the evidence on both sides of an argument, to find the most likely reason for or result of something
• The balance of evidence suggests the Liberal party's decline began before the First World War.
• The coroner thought that on the balance of probabilities, the pilot had suffered a stroke just before the crash.
8. if the future of something/somebody, or the result of something is/hangs in the balance, it is not certain
• The long-term future of the space programme hangs in the balance.
• Tom’s life hung in the balance for two weeks as he lay in a coma.
9. to make somebody unsteady and in danger of falling
• I was thrown off balance by the sudden gust of wind.
• The sudden movement threw him off balance.
10. to make somebody surprised and no longer calm
• The senator was clearly caught off balance by the unexpected question.
11. after considering all the information
• On balance, the company has had a successful year.
12. to make a situation equal or fair again
• For years poorer children have had to put up with a lower quality education, and now is the time to redress the balance.
13. to manage to find a way of being fair to two things that are opposed to each other; to find an acceptable position that is between two things
• We need to strike a balance between these conflicting interests.
14. to affect the result of something in one way rather than another
• In an interview, smart presentation can tip the balance in your favour.
• New evidence tipped the balance against the prosecution.

Word Origin

• Middle English (in sense 5 of the noun): from Old French balance (noun), balancer (verb), based on late Latin (libra) bilanx ‘(balance) having two scale pans’, from bi- ‘twice, having two’ + lanx ‘scale pan’.