counterbalance

n.

1. A force or influence equally counteracting another.
2. A weight that acts to balance another; a counterpoise or counterweight.

tr.v., -anced, -anc·ing, -anc·es. (koun'tər-băl'əns, koun'tər-băl'əns)

1. To act as a counteracting force, influence, or weight to; counterpoise.
2. To oppose with an equal force; offset.

verb

1. To act as an equalizing weight or force to: balance, compensate, counteract, counterpoise, countervail, make up, offset, set off. See order/disorder.
2. To put in balance: balance, equalize, stabilize, steady. See order/disorder.
3. To make up for: balance, compensate, counterpoise, countervail, neutralize, offset, outweigh, redeem, set off. See substitute.

IN BRIEF: To oppose weight or push with an equal force.

To make a seesaw work, you must counterbalance the weight of the two people riding by moving up or down the plank.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: an equivalent counterbalancing weight
  Synonyms: counterweight, counterpoise, balance, equalizer, equaliser

Meaning #2: equality of distribution
  Synonyms: balance, equilibrium, equipoise

Meaning #3: a compensating equivalent
  Synonym: offset

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The verb counterbalance has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: make up for, make good
  Synonyms: compensate, even out, even off, even up

Meaning #2: place in opposition: can also be used in an abstract sense
  Synonyms: oppose, turn the scales

Meaning #3: oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions
  Synonyms: counteract, countervail, neutralize

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - modvægt, modargument
v. tr. - opveje, virke som modvægt

Nederlands (Dutch)
tegenwicht, compenseren, een tegenwicht vormen tegen, opwegen tegen

Français (French)
n. - contrepoids
v. tr. - contre-balancer, faire contrepoids à

Deutsch (German)
v. - ausgleichen
n. - Gegengewicht

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αντισταθμίζω, ισοσταθμίζω, (εξ)ισορροπώ, συμψηφίζω
n. - αντιστάθμιση, ισοστάθμιση, αντίβαρο

Italiano (Italian)
compensare, controbilanciare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - equilibrar
n. - contrapeso (m)

Русский (Russian)
уравновешивать

Español (Spanish)
n. - contrapeso
v. tr. - compensar, contrapesar, contrabalancear

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - uppväga, bilda motvikt mot, motverka
n. - motvikt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
平衡量, 势均力敌, 平衡力, 使平衡, 抵消

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 平衡量, 勢均力敵, 平衡力
v. tr. - 使平衡, 抵消

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 평형추, 균형세력
v. tr. - 대등하게 하다, 견제하다, 보충하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - …につり合わせる, 埋め合わせをする, 効果を消す
n. - つり合いおもり, つり合う力, 平衡

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) عادل, وازى (الاسم) توازن, موازنه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮משקל נגדי‬
v. tr. - ‮איזן‬

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