Balance Meaning
/ˈbæləns/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA state in which opposing forces harmonise; equilibrium.
nounMental equilibrium; mental health; calmness, a state of remaining clear-headed and unperturbed.
Sentence Examples
The balance at the bank stands at two million yen.
It took me several days to balance the company books.
How long can you balance on one leg?
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
To ride a bicycle without falling off, you must ____ your weight evenly on both sides.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You need a good sense of ____ to ride a bicycle without falling.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree 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 From Middle English balaunce, from Old French balance, from Late Latin *bilancia, from (accusative form of) Latin bilanx (“two-scaled”), from bi- + lanx (“plate, scale”). Displaced the word — Old English wǣġ akin to Modern English: wey from Proto-West Germanic *wāgu (“scales; weight”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"But civilized man is quite a different animal, and when he wipes out an entire city or levels a forest, he is no longer working within the natural balance of things."
— 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 196:
"The shift in the balance of power online has allowed anyone to publish to the world, from dispirited teenagers in south London to an anonymous cyber-dissident in a Middle East autocracy."
— 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:
"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:
"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:
"Mr. Morrison's ruling to reopen the station as a shelter was given after he had balanced the relative dangers of flooding and bombing."
— 1941 September, Charles E. Lee, “Sheltering in London Tube Stations”, in Railway Magazine, page 389:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To ride a bicycle without falling off, you must ____ your weight evenly on both sides.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
You need a good sense of ____ to ride a bicycle without falling.