How to Use tip the balance in a Sentence

tip the balance

idiom
Definition of tip the balancenext
  • Adding a sizeable amount to that total against the Tide could tip the balance in the Bearcats' favor.
    — Keith Jenkins, The Enquirer, 30 Dec. 2021
  • The outcome could tip the balance of power in the nearly evenly split U.S. Senate.
    — Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2024
  • Still, his party may further split votes that could tip the balance in a tight race and his return cannot be ruled out.
    — Eileen Ng, ajc, 16 Nov. 2022
  • This could well be the year when these various forces push hard enough to finally tip the balance.
    — Hannah Ritchie, WIRED, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Thursday's deaths appeared to tip the balance and push Biden to approve airdrops.
    — Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Lissner and Rapp-Hooper argue that the United States can still tip the balance in favor of an open and rules-based order.
    — Patrick Porter, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020
  • Here are five players that could tip the balance in Saturday's showdown.
    — J.l. Kirven, The Courier-Journal, 3 Mar. 2022
  • More recently it has been credited with helping tip the balance in conflicts like Libya and Nagorno Karabakh.
    — Jomana Karadsheh and Isil Sariyuce, CNN, 11 Apr. 2022
  • Israel may balk at the prospect of making such concessions, but the centrist members of the unity government might help tip the balance.
    — Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2023
  • Prigozhin may have planned the operation as a means to get Putin’s attention and to tip the balance of behind-the-scenes power and influence back in his favor.
    — Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 June 2023
  • For instance, 164 people on the Millennium Bridge will not result in shaking, but adding one more person will tip the balance.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2021
  • This year’s races could tip the balance of power in Congress to Republicans, hobbling President Biden’s agenda for the second half of his term.
    — New York Times, 5 July 2022
  • This show takes that delicate balance on board with the understanding that childhood is the foundation on which all society is built, and the need to tip the balance in the right direction.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2023
  • Along with other firsts, this mayoral election gives the city a chance to turn the page on that cozy dynamic — to tip the balance away from luxury condos, and toward people struggling to afford homes.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2021
  • The battle between business and labor is headed for a high-stakes showdown at the California Supreme Court this week over a ballot measure that would tip the balance of power at the state Capitol.
    — Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
  • As the war approaches its fourth month, Western nations have substantially increased their aid to Ukraine, an effort to tip the balance as the conflict grows more protracted and costly.
    — New York Times, 22 May 2022
  • Two senators and one representative could tip the balance of power.
    — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Creating local markets for recycled waste in Arizona could tip the balance.
    — The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Turnout — which among the Jewish population is expected to remain around 70 percent, similar to previous rounds — will tip the balance.
    — Claire Parker, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2022
  • Don’t tip the balance over to standardization; ensure there’s equal improvement in ease of execution, and remember that just making something easier and faster may not move the needle in terms of the impact the process has on the business.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 5 May 2023
  • Democrats are defending a 55-45 advantage in the House, with Republicans targeting several suburban swing districts — and a few close rural races — that could tip the balance of power.
    — Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2021
  • Baker’s intriguing historical novel explores how the strain of wartime living can tip the balance between sanity and delusion, and how forging friendships can be a lifeline.
    — Becky Meloan, Washington Post, 1 May 2023
  • But the redistricting process that's expected to be complete by December could make the district more competitive and possibly tip the balance back to Republicans.
    — Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2021
  • Alongside the individual standouts among the 2022 international contenders, there are several double acts that could tip the balance.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2022
  • The altered electoral geography allows Biden to create a new policy without worrying about its impact on a relatively small number of voters who could tip the balance in Florida.
    — William Neuman, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2023
  • Although the smaller island nations at COP26 might have little power to tip the balance either way, climate policy embraced by a giant like India could imperil global decarbonization.
    — Katherine Dunn, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2021
  • Future events and developments could easily tip the balance: a significant third-party spoiler candidacy; a health setback for either man; a Trump conviction; economic improvement or decline; more upheaval in the world or on the border.
    — Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tip the balance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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