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⚖️ To outweigh 🤸 To lose balance 🔄 To upset balance
to overbalance

to overbalance

6.7
To make something lose balance or become unsteady
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈbæləns/
translation icon : desestabilizar
  • After a moment, Susannah figured out how to use its weight to move it, letting the lover overbalance and roll forward over the beveled top of the tank wall.

Examples

  • He went with her as she flipped her weight to overbalance him, and in the process, wrapped his arms around her in a full nelson.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Several of these have been variations on Bascara's overbalanced wheel with rolling balls or weights on swinging arms.

  • If the load is too heavy, it could overbalance and topple over.

  • The strong winds caused the bookshelf to overbalance, knocking several books to the floor.

  • He lost his footing, causing him to overbalance and stumble backward.

Synonyms

to topple
vsto overbalance
93 4.1

To fall over or make something fall over, often suddenly when it loses balance

includes sudden falls but also slower or figurative upset of balance
to fall over
vsto overbalance
67 1.0

To lose your balance or stop being steady and end up on the ground

is about causing imbalance rather than simply experiencing a fall
to tip over
vsto overbalance
27 3.0

Make something fall from a standing position

can mean making something unsteady rather than always causing a complete fall
to throw off balance
vsto overbalance
4 5.4

To make someone feel confused or unsure after a sudden change

covers this mental effect plus literal physical unsteadiness as well
to unbalance
vsto overbalance
2 4.8

To make something unstable or uneven

applies similarly but stresses causing unsteadiness both physically and figuratively
to overset
vsto overbalance
6.4

To make something fall over or turn upside down

is broader, meaning cause to become unsteady or upset in many ways
to overtip
vsto overbalance
5.8

To make something tilt so far that it falls over

covers similar imbalance but also includes milder loss of steadiness
to throw off keel
vsto overbalance
8.1

Cause someone to feel confused and upset

also covers physical loss of steadiness in addition to emotional effects
to cant over
vsto overbalance
8.8

To tilt to one side so it is off balance

can mean the same slight tilt but also stronger loss of balance

Antonyms

to stabilize
  • US
197 3.7

To make something steady so it stops moving or falling

How Unsteady

to topple
93 4.1
to overbalance
6.7
to unbalance
2 4.8
to tilt
147 2.0

Surface Forms

overbalance infinitive
overbalanced past
overbalanced past participle
overbalancing present participle
overbalances third person singular

Morphology

overbalance = balance (transparent) = over + balance

The sense 'to cause to lose balance' is a straightforward extension of 'over-' (excess/too much) + 'balance' (stability), which learners can derive.

Etymology

The verb overbalance comes from over- meaning 'too much' and balance meaning 'even weight' or 'steady'. Think of adding weight to one side of a boat or shelf and making it unsteady; that's why it means 'to upset the balance' or make something unstable.