counterbalance

[ noun koun-ter-bal-uhns; verb koun-ter-bal-uhns ]

noun

1. a weight balancing another weight; an equal weight, power, or influence acting in opposition; counterpoise.

verb (used with or without object)

, coun·ter·bal·anced, coun·ter·bal·anc·ing.

1. to act against or oppose with an equal weight, force, or influence; offset.

   Synonyms: balance, rectify, countervail, correct

counterbalance

noun

1. a weight or force that balances or offsets another

verb

1. to act as a counterbalance

Other Words From

• uncoun·ter·balanced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterbalance¹

First recorded in 1570–80; counter- + balance

Example Sentences

Right-wing media now dominates with its lies, while corporate media has failed to counterbalance the right-wing narrative.

From Salon

Nabbing them could easily counterbalance a national erosion of support from nonwhites.

From Slate

Instead, he sat down with a local Pittsburgh pastor named Jason Howard, an earnest and round-faced man whose soft voice and claims of political ignorance formed a perfect counterbalance to Wallnau’s slick, openly right-wing televangelism.

From Slate

The Kremlin's media machine would use it to counterbalance the embarrassment of Ukraine's capture of territory in Russia's Kusk border region.

From BBC

The West also sees India as a counterbalance to China and doesn’t want to upset that dynamic.

From BBC

Related Words

• counteract
• outweigh
• rectify