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

Navigating a path forward will have to be a balancing act because any missteps could elongate the process. —Shayna Goldman, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

Macron’s remarks underscored France’s delicate balancing act on the global stage — collaborating with old allies while maintaining European sovereignty. —Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2025

And with his return imminent, the Knicks face a delicate balancing act. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2025

Public health is a balancing act between risk and benefit, Limaye says. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above