Adjacent Words

Counterbalance definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COUNTERBALANCE, v.t. [counter and balance.] To weigh against; to weigh against with an equal weight; to act against with equal power or effect; to countervail A column of thirty inches of quicksilver, and a column of thirty-two feet of water, counterbalance the weight of a like column of the whole atmosphere. The pleasures of sin never counterbalance the pain, misery and shame which follow the commission of it.
COUNTERBALANCE, n. Equal weight, power or agency acting in opposition to any thing.
Money is the counterbalance of all things purchasable.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a weight that balances another weight [syn: counterweight, counterbalance, counterpoise, balance, equalizer, equaliser]
2: equality of distribution [syn: balance, equilibrium, equipoise, counterbalance]
3: a compensating equivalent [syn: counterbalance, offset] v
1: adjust for; "engineers will work to correct the effects or air resistance" [syn: compensate, counterbalance, correct, make up, even out, even off, even up]
2: contrast with equal weight or force [syn: oppose, counterbalance]
3: oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions; "This will counteract the foolish actions of my colleagues" [syn: counteract, countervail, neutralize, counterbalance]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Date: circa 1611 1. a weight that balances another 2. a force or influence that offsets or checks an opposing force II. transitive verb Date: circa 1611 1. to oppose or balance with an equal weight or force 2. to equip with counterbalances

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a weight balancing another. 2 an argument, force, etc., balancing another. --v.tr. act as a counterbalance to.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Counterbalance Coun`ter*bal"ance (-b?l"ans), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Counterbalanced (-anst); p. pr. & vb. n. Counterbalancing.] To oppose with an equal weight or power; to counteract the power or effect of; to countervail; to equiponderate; to balance. The remaining air was not able to counterbalance the mercurial cylinder. --Boyle. The cstudy of mind is necessary to counterbalance and correct the influence of the study of nature. --Sir W. Hamilton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Counterbalance Coun"ter*bal`ance (koun"t?r-b?l`ans), n. A weight, power, or agency, acting against or balancing another; as: (a) A mass of metal in one side of a driving wheel or fly wheel, to balance the weight of a crank pin, etc., on the opposite side of the wheel. (b) A counterpoise to balance the weight of anything, as of a drawbridge or a scale beam. Money is the counterbalance to all other things purchasable by it. --Locke.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

also counter-balance(counterbalances, counterbalancing, counterbalanced) 1. To counterbalance something means to balance or correct it with something that has an equal but opposite effect. Add honey to counterbalance the acidity... = offset VERB: V n 2. Something that is a counterbalance to something else counterbalances that thing. ...organisations set up as a counterbalance to groups allied to the ANC. N-COUNT: oft N to n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Counterpoise, balance. 2. Countervail, compensate, set off, make up for.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodate, adjust, amend, annul, antipode, antipodes, antipole, antithesis, antonym, atone for, balance, ballast, be at cross-purposes, be heavy, be opposed to, bring to nothing, buffer, cancel, cancel out, carry weight, clash, come to nothing, compensate, conflict, conflict with, consideration, contra, contradict, contrapose, contrast with, contravene, controvert, converse, coordinate, correct, counter, counteract, counterblast, countercheck, countercurrent, counterforce, counterinfluence, counterpoint, counterpoise, counterpole, counterpose, counterpressure, counterterm, countervail, counterweigh, counterweight, counterwork, crosscurrent, equalize, equate, equipoise, equiponderate, equivalent, even, even up, firm, firm up, fit, foil, foul wind, freeze, frustrate, give-and-take, have weight, head wind, heft, hold, hold the scales, immobilize, integrate, invalidate, inverse, juxtapose in opposition, keep, level, lie heavy, make up, makeweight, nail down, negate, negativate, negative, neutralize, nullify, obverse, offset, oppose, opposite, opposite number, oppugn, outweigh, pin down, play at cross-purposes, poise, proportion, quid pro quo, rectify, redeem, retain, reverse, run counter to, set off, setoff, something of value, square, square up, stabilitate, stabilize, steady, stick, strike a balance, stultify, the contrary, the other side, thwart, tip the scales, tit for tat, transfix, undercurrent, undo, vis-a-vis, vitiate, void, weigh, weigh heavy, weigh in, weigh out, weight