balancing act

noun

plural balancing acts

: an attempt to handle or deal with two or more things (such as obligations) at one time so as to satisfy often competing requirements

"It's a difficult balancing act between celebrating the past and making room for the future."

—Jeffrey Brown

Vegas might be the starkest example of what the hospitality industry faces across the country: a delicate balancing act between bringing back jobs and revenue and keeping workers and customers safe from a virus that's killed more than 100,000 Americans.

—Dave Jamieson

It's a balancing act between appreciation, education and safety. Earlier this year, London city council voted to tighten up a parks bylaw that restricts the amount of food residents can feed to wild animals.

—Megan Stacey

Examples of balancing act in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With any unexpected approach, corporate boards must navigate a delicate balancing act—advocating for the best interests of their shareholders, while also fending off unwanted advances. —Jeff Jacobs, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

The talks represent a potentially delicate balancing act for Netflix. —Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

When the leaves turn and temperatures drop, my fall and early winter air travel style in the skies becomes a balancing act between comfort, coziness, and looking sharp. —Dan Koday, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2024

Trying to predict the impact of a child allowance decades into the future is always going to be a balancing act of ambiguity and speculation. —Oshan Jarow, Vox, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above