checks and balances

noun

plural in form but sometimes singular in construction

: a system that allows each branch of a government to amend, override, or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power or power beyond its authority

Things that for many decades were givens—the checks and balances on the executive, the role of the judiciary or the civil service, a media free from interference or vilification—now appear vulnerable.

—Emily Maitlis

"I do think that there is an expectation in our country that checks and balances is a good thing," [Senator John] Thune said …

—Stephen Groves

broadly : a system in which power and control is distributed and counterbalanced (as to prevent unethical or harmful actions)

Founders [of startup businesses] benefit from checks and balances. … It makes the company more trustworthy, easier to finance, and less likely to implode. For those same reasons, checks and balances help employees.

—Noam Wasserman

Examples of checks and balances in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It is meant as part of the system of checks and balances, to serve as an emergency backstop against unjust court proceedings. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

But there were others in North America who had also seen the dangers of certain types of government and had designed their own checks and balances to guard against tyranny: the Native Americans. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 21 Nov. 2024

The lack of checks and balances means anyone can become a target. —Joan Solomon, Baltimore Sun, 18 Nov. 2024

The goal is mass deregulation — a weakening of checks and balances and a major cut to basic government services, all in the name of concentrating power among a small group of plutocrats. —Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 22 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

checks and balances

plural noun

: a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from having too much power

Legal Definition

checks and balances

noun plural

checks and bal·​anc·​es

-ˈba-lən-səz

: the powers (as judicial review, the presidential veto, and the congressional override) conferred on each of the three branches of government by which each restrains the others from exerting too much power see also separation of powers