balance

balance
{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}
noun
1 even combination/distribution
ADJECTIVE
correct, equal, even, exact, ideal, necessary, optimal, optimum, perfect, proper, right

With children, it is important to achieve the right balance between love and discipline.

comfortable, excellent, good, happy, harmonious, healthy

a healthy balance of foods

acceptable, appropriate, fair, reasonable, sensible (BrE)

How do you find an acceptable balance between closeness and distance in a relationship?

careful, delicate, fine (esp. BrE), subtle

Being a good boss requires a fine balance between kindness and authority.

fragile, precarious, uneasy
overall

It is the overall balance of the diet that is important.

ecological, natural

Pulling up all the plants will disturb the natural balance of the pond.

hormonal, nutritional
work-life
ethnic, gender, racial, social

There is an even gender balance among staff and students.

VERB + BALANCE
require
seek
achieve, attain, create, find, strike

We need to strike a balance between these conflicting interests.

keep, maintain, preserve, sustain

You have to maintain a balance in your life or else you'll go crazy.

improve

ways to improve your work-life balance

disrupt, disturb, upset

Tourists often disturb the delicate balance of nature on the island.

redress, re-establish, restore
affect
adjust, alter, change, shift
BALANCE + VERB
change, shift
PREPOSITION
on balance (= after considering all the information)

On balance, the company has had a successful year.

in balance

It is important to keep the different aspects of your life in balance.

balance between

the balance between academic and practical work

balance of

the balance of animals and plants in the environment

PHRASES
the balance of nature
2 division of power/influence
ADJECTIVE
changing, shifting
military, political
competitive
VERB + BALANCE
affect
change, shift
swing (esp. BrE), tilt, tip

In an interview, good presentation can tip the balance your way.

BALANCE + VERB
change, shift, swing, tilt

He argues that the balance has swung too far in favour/favor of capitalism.

PHRASES
the balance of advantage (esp. BrE)

The balance of advantage has shifted from the unions to employers.

the balance of forces

They assessed the balance of forces between Israel and other countries.

the balance of power

Who holds the balance of power in this relationship?

There was a dramatic shift in the balance of power.

checks and balances

Democracy depends on a system of checks and balances.

3 of the body
ADJECTIVE
excellent, good
poor
VERB + BALANCE
have

Gymnasts have excellent balance.

affect

Tightness in one set of muscles will affect your whole balance.

improve

Yoga improves balance as well as flexibility.

keep

I struggled to keep my balance on my new skates.

lose

She lost her balance and fell.

catch (esp. AmE), recover, regain
adjust

He set his feet wider and adjusted his balance.

knock sb off, throw sb off

The sudden movement threw him off balance.

BALANCE + NOUN
beam (esp. AmE)

The gymnasts finish with floor exercises and the balance beam.

PREPOSITION
off balance
PHRASES
a sense of balance

Cats have a very good sense of balance.

4 money
ADJECTIVE
account, bank
cash, money
credit, favourable/favorable, healthy, positive
debit, negative
cleared (BrE), net

Interest is calculated on the daily cleared balance and paid direct to your account.

opening
final (esp. BrE), outstanding
trade
VERB + BALANCE
have

Everyone likes to have a healthy bank balance.

ask for, request

He asked the cashier for the balance of his current account.

check

I'll need to check my bank balance before I spend so much money.

show
be due

The final balance is due six weeks before departure.

pay

I'll pay the balance later.

use

The balance of the proceeds will be used for new equipment.

bring forward, carry forward

the balance brought forward from the previous year

BALANCE + NOUN
(see also balance sheet)
PHRASES
the balance of payments, the balance of trade
{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}
verb
1 keep steady
ADVERB
carefully, delicately, precariously
PREPOSITION
on

He balanced the glasses carefully on the tray.

2 compare two things; give them equal value
ADVERB
beautifully, delicately, evenly, finely, nicely, perfectly

The song perfectly balances melody and rhythm.

VERB + BALANCE
have to, need to
seek to, try to

The plan seeks to balance two important objectives.

manage to
fail to

The party lost because it failed to balance economic growth with social equity.

PREPOSITION
against

We have to balance the risks of the new strategy against the possible benefits.

with

She tries to balance the needs of her children with those of her employer.

Balance is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑force
Balance is used with these nouns as the object: ↑budget, ↑demand, ↑equation, ↑force, ↑need, ↑scales, ↑tray

Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Balance — (de) …   Kölsch Dialekt Lexikon

  • Balance — Bal ance (b[a^]l ans), n. [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilanx, bilancis, having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.] 1. An apparatus for weighing. [1913 Webster] Note: In its simplest form, a balance consists of a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • balance — BALANCE. s. f. Instrument dont on se sert pour peser, composé de deux bassins de même poids, suspendus à un fléau. Balance juste. Fausse balance. Les bassins, les plats d une balance. La languette d une balance. Le fléau d une balance. Tenir la… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • balance — BALANCE. subst. f. Instrument à deux bassins servant à peser. Balance juste. fausse balance. les bassins de la balance. la languette de la balance. le fleau de la balance. tenir la balance juste. faire pencher la balance. On dit que, Le poids… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Balance — Bal ance (b[a^]l ans), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Balanced} (b[a^]l anst); p. pr. & vb. n. {Balancing} (b[a^]l an*s[i^]ng).] [From {Balance}, n.: cf. F. balancer.] 1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • balance — 1. The noun is about four centuries older than the verb, and has derived several figurative uses from its primary meaning of ‘an apparatus for weighing’, as for example in accounting (where the notion of balancing the books is ever present) and… …   Modern English usage

  • balance — ► NOUN 1) an even distribution of weight ensuring stability. 2) mental or emotional stability. 3) a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. 4) an apparatus for weighing, especially one with a beam and… …   English terms dictionary

  • Balance — bezeichnet: Gleichgewicht (Physik), ein Gleichgewicht von entgegenwirkenden Kräften oder Aspekten oder einen Zustand der Ausgewogenheit Ausgeglichenheit Eigenschaften einer Datenstruktur; siehe Balancierter Baum Balance (Magazin), ein von der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Balance — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Balance puede referirse a: Balance (contabilidad), informe financiero que refleja la situación del patrimonio de una entidad en un momento determinado. Balance hídrico, el equilibrio entre todos los recursos hídricos …   Wikipedia Español

  • balance — n 1 Balance, equilibrium, equipoise, poise, tension are comparable when denoting the stability or efficiency resulting from the equalization or exact adjustment of opposing forces. Balance suggests a steadiness that results when all parts are… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • balance — or Balance [bal′əns] n. [ME & OFr, prob. via ML < VL * bilancia < LL bilanx, having two scales < L bis, twice + lanx, a dish, scale < IE * elek , extended stem of base * el , to bend > ELBOW] 1. an instrument for weighing, esp. one …   English World dictionary

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