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
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.
This shift was in part to alter the dramatic balance of power between Stanley and Blanche. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024 Or is there, instead, no strategy but only the valuation of balances of power that have been upset recently? Anna Zanardi Cappon, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 How Iran’s most important regional ally responds will determine the postwar balance of power between Israel and Iran. Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Oct. 2024 Humanity’s shrinking ranks will inexorably alter the current global balance of power and strain the existing world order. Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near balance of power

Cite this Entry

“Balance of power.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balance%20of%20power. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on balance of power

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!