counterbalance
part of speech
noun (a counterbalance, counterbalances); verb (counterbalance, counterbalances, counterbalanced, counterbalancing)
meaning for a pupil
1) A weight that balances another weight. tree →
2) Something that has an equal and opposite effect to something else. tree →
3) To balance something by putting weight or force on the other side. tree →
4) To make up for something by having an opposite effect. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science: a crane has a counterbalance (counterweight) so it does not tip; a see-saw balances when the moments on both sides are equal. In everyday talk: «Fun counterbalances hard work».
examples
- The crane uses a heavy counterbalance. tree →
- On the see-saw, Dad's weight counterbalanced both of us. tree →
- The lift has a counterbalance to make it easier to move. tree →
- Good food counterbalanced the long walk. tree →
- His calm counterbalances her excitement. tree →
- Add weight to the other end to counterbalance the load. tree →
note
One word. Similar: counterweight, offset. In science, balance happens when weight × distance is the same on each side, not just equal weights.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «counterbalance» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.