See Also: balance 1, noun(dictionary)
Official settlements balance (overall balance)(finance)
Official settlements balance (overall balance)(money)
On balance(finance)
off-balance(dictionary)
BALANCE, com(law)
balance(dictionary)
balance(2)(dictionary)
balance(1)(dictionary)
Balance(money)

balance 1, noun (oh)



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1 ?steady?
2 ?equal amounts?
3 on balance
4 ?surprise somebody?
5 ?bank?
6 ?money owed?
7 ?remaining?
8 be/hang in the balance
9 tip/swing the balance
10 ?for weighing?
11 ?mental/emotional health?
12 the balance of evidence/probability etc
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[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Vulgar Latin bilancia, from Late Latin bilanx 'having two pans', from Latin lanx 'plate']
?STEADY?
[U] a state in which all your weight is evenly spread so that you do not fall
::I lost my balance and fell on my face.
::We were struggling to keep our balance as the boat rolled.
::I thought she was going to fall, but she recovered her balance and carried on down the stairs.
::a powerful blow that knocked his opponent off balance
::I've got a good sense of balance and learnt to ski quite quickly.
?EQUAL AMOUNTS?
[singular, U] a state in which opposite forces or influences exist in equal or the correct amounts, in a way that is good
-opposite imbalance imbalance balance between
::Try to keep a balance between work and play.
balance of
::Pesticides seriously upset the balance of nature .
::We need to strike a balance (=succeed in finding a balance) between the needs of the community and the rights of the individual.
on balance
if you think something on balance, you think it after considering all the facts
::I think on balance I prefer the old system.
?SURPRISE SOMEBODY?
catch/throw sb off balance
to surprise someone and make them confused and no longer calm
::The question caught him off balance, and he didn't know what to say.
?BANK?
[C] the amount of money that you have in your bank account
::My bank balance isn't very healthy.
?MONEY OWED?
[C] the balance of a debt is the amount of money that you still owe after you have paid some of it
::The balance is due at the end of the month.
?REMAINING?
the balance
the amount of something that remains after some has been used, spent, mentioned etc
-synonym the rest the rest
::The firm owns about 96% of the portfolio, with the balance belonging to our family.
be/hang in the balance
if the future or success of something hangs in the balance, you cannot yet know whether the result will be bad or good
::Meanwhile, the fate of the refugees continues to hang in the balance.
tip/swing the balance
to influence the result of an event
::The dignity and courage shown by the President may tip the balance in his party's favour .
?FOR WEIGHING?
[C] an instrument for weighing things, with two dishes that hang from a bar
-synonym scales scales
?MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH?
[singular] when someone's mind is healthy and their emotional state is normal
::The death of her friend had disturbed the balance of her mind .
the balance of evidence/probability etc
the most likely answer or result produced by opposing information, reasons etc
-see also checks and balances at check 2 (4)
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COLLOCATES for sense 1
lose your balance (=become unsteady)
keep your balance (=stay steady)
recover/regain your balance (=become steady again)
be off balance (=unable to stay steady)
knock/pull/throw somebody off balance
sense of balance