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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After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in France, European leaders negotiated new territorial boundaries at the Congress of Vienna, in 1814–15, in an attempt to establish a stable balance of power on the continent. G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025 Today's world order is based once again on a balance of power among several near-peer competitors. John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025 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 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 5 Apr. 2025.

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