counterweights

noun

plural of counterweight
as in offsets
a force or influence that makes an opposing force ineffective or less effective hard work can often be a counterweight to modest intelligence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of counterweights Then, an optimization algorithm repeatedly rearranged the drone’s heavy essentials, such as the battery, the circuit board, and the counterweights. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026 Carbon fiber rods connect batteries, a controller, some counterweights, and a motor and propeller. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026 Built by the Mosler Safe Company in Ohio, the vault’s doors opened upward, activated by two massive counterweights that swung down at the press of a button. — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years. — ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026 When clinicians practice this way, patients still seek out peers — but as companions, not counterweights. — Scott Hamilton, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026 When the executive presides over the legislative branch and retains veto authority, meaningful institutional counterweights can become harder to sustain. — Sara Albrecht, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026 Each tram has eight passenger cars and is powered by a typical heavy-duty elevator mechanism with cables, counterweights, etc. — Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025 According to the outlets, the pair heard a loud bang and the elevator cabin jammed before eventually falling down the shaft, along with a number of concrete counterweights. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterweights
  1. offsets
  2. counters
  3. balances
  4. correctives
Noun
  • The article warns against complacency, noting that if these temporary offsets disappear and supply constraints persist, panic buying and momentum trading could drive prices significantly higher.
    — Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • But some regions use half-hour or 45-minute offsets to better align with solar time or for the sake of national identity.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026
Definition of offsets
Noun
  • From intimate chef’s counters to fancy destination restaurants, these are the standout new tables shaping the capital’s ever-evolving food scene.
    — Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Quartzite counters, a large island and generous work areas anchor the space.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of counters
Noun
  • Banks then collect interest on these balances, earning money from the accounts.
    — P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Active subscriptions will be canceled prior to the transition, but existing balances will carry over.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of balances
Noun
  • These are all refreshing correctives to the texts that previously stood in for contemporary Japan internationally, including any number of small volumes about magical cafés, bookshops, or libraries, often with cats on their covers.
    — Sarah Chihaya, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Some of these values—such as a disciplined commitment to physical fitness—are good and, in my opinion, necessary correctives to the enervating distractions of 21st-century living.
    — Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
Definition of correctives

Browse Nearby Words

counterweight
counterweights
countess
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Cite this Entry

“Counterweights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterweights. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on counterweights

Nglish: Translation of counterweights for Spanish Speakers

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