- balance
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 even combination/distributionADJECTIVE▪ 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, shiftBALANCE + VERB▪ change, shiftPREPOSITION▪ 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 nature2 division of power/influenceADJECTIVE▪ changing, shifting▪ military, political▪ competitiveVERB + 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 bodyADJECTIVE▪ excellent, good▪ poorVERB + 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 balancePHRASES▪ a sense of balance▪Cats have a very good sense of balance.
4 moneyADJECTIVE▪ 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▪ tradeVERB + 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}}verb1 keep steadyADVERB▪ carefully, delicately, precariouslyPREPOSITION▪ on▪He balanced the glasses carefully on the tray.
2 compare two things; give them equal valueADVERB▪ 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
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
