balance

S1 W1

BrE /ˈbæləns/ AmE /ˈbæləns/

noun en → es

1 ECONOMY [countable] B1

the amount of money that you have in a bank account or the difference between what you owe and what is owed to you

saldo, equilibrio financiero

  • have a balance of $X

Collocations bank balance · credit card balance

  • She checked her bank balance.

    Ella revisó su saldo bancario.

2 PHYSICAL [uncountable] A2

the ability to keep your body steady and not fall over

equilibrio, estabilidad física

  • lose balance

Collocations balance on one foot · good balance

  • She lost her balance and fell.

    Perdió el equilibrio y cayó.

3 WEIGHT [uncountable] B1

a state of being equally balanced or stable in weight, force, etc.

equilibrio, estabilidad

  • maintain balance

Collocations balance of power · balance between work and life

  • The company needs to maintain a balance between cost and quality.

    La empresa necesita mantener un equilibrio entre el costo y la calidad.

4 CHEMISTRY [uncountable] B2

a state in which the amounts of different substances in a chemical reaction are equal and opposite, so that there is no overall change

equilibrio químico

  • chemical balance
  • The chemical reaction reached a state of balance.

    La reacción química alcanzó un estado de equilibrio.

5 ACCOUNTING [countable] B2

the difference between the total amounts in the credit and debit columns of an account

equilibrio contable, saldo

  • balance sheet
  • The accountant reviewed the balance sheets.

    El contador revisó los estados de resultados.

6 PHYSICS [uncountable] B2

a state in which different forces are equal and opposite, so that there is no movement or change

equilibrio físico

  • balance of forces
  • The seesaw is in balance.

    La balanza está en equilibrio.

7 MUSIC [uncountable] B2

the arrangement of musical sounds so that they are pleasing to the ear and not too heavy or light in any part

equilibrio musical, armonía

  • balance of sound
  • The composer achieved a perfect balance between the instruments.

    El compositor logró un equilibrio perfecto entre los instrumentos.

8 ART [uncountable] B2

the arrangement of parts in a painting, sculpture, etc., so that no part is more important than any other and the whole thing looks pleasing to the eye

equilibrio artístico, armonía visual

  • balance of elements
  • The artist achieved a balance between light and shadow.

    El artista logró un equilibrio entre la luz y las sombras.

Idioms

balance out B2

compensar, equilibrar

  • The profits from one project balanced out the losses in another.

    Los beneficios de un proyecto compensaron las pérdidas en otro.

balance on a knife-edge C1

estar en una situación muy delicada o peligrosa

  • The peace talks are balanced on a knife-edge.

    Las conversaciones de paz están en una situación muy delicada.

balance the books B2

hacer que los libros contables estén equilibrados, ajustar las cuentas

  • The accountant had to balance the books before the audit.

    El contador tuvo que hacer que los libros contables estuvieran equilibrados antes de la auditoría.