balance of power

noun phrase

: an equilibrium of power sufficient to discourage or prevent one nation or party from imposing its will on or interfering with the interests of another

Examples of balance of power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And while Lincoln rejected the court’s proslavery reading of the Constitution, Trump may be rejecting its central feature – the structural balance of power. Jeffrey Schmitt, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2025 From eastern Europe to East Asia, revisionist powers are seeking dramatic changes in the global balance of power. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 And even among Iraq’s Shia, the pro-Tehran position is heavily contested—all the more so, surely, now that the region’s balance of power has shifted away from Iran. Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025 The international order is sagging because the military balance of power is sagging. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for balance of power

Word History

First Known Use

1679, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of balance of power was in 1679

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Cite this Entry

“Balance of power.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balance%20of%20power. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

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