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# counterweight

«counterweight» in Mova's school dictionary: **a heavy weight used to balance another weight, so that…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a counterweight, counterweights); verb (counterweight, rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A counterweight is a heavy weight used to balance another weight, so that something heavy is easier to lift or does not tip over. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#m1)

2) Figuratively, a counterweight is anything that balances something else, such as one idea balancing another. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons on forces and levers, a counterweight balances a load, as on a seesaw, a crane, a lift (elevator) or a drawbridge. Cranes have big concrete counterweights at the back so they do not fall over. In history, a trebuchet used a heavy counterweight to throw stones. Phrases: «act as a counterweight», «a counterweight to».

### examples

- The crane has a huge counterweight to stop it tipping. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#x1)
- A lift uses a counterweight so the motor does less work. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#x2)
- The trebuchet's counterweight dropped and the arm flung the stone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#x3)
- On a seesaw, a heavier child can be a counterweight to two smaller ones. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#x4)
- We used a bag of marbles as a counterweight in our lever experiment. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#x5)
- Grandad's calm voice was a counterweight to all the shouting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/#x6)

### note

Countable. Written as one word. In balance problems the counterweight's turning effect must equal the load's: weight times distance from the pivot is the same on both sides (for example 10 kg at 2 m balances 20 kg at 1 m).

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «counterweight» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/counterweight/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.