tip the balance
idiom
: to change a situation so that one person, group, etc., is more able or likely to succeed : to give an advantage to someone or something
Both candidates are qualified, but her experience tips the balance in her favor.
Examples of tip the balance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lai’s speeches were timed leading up to July recall votes that could have unseated 24 lawmakers for the pro-China KMT and thus tip the balance of power for his DPP in the Legislative Yuan.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Other times, secondary variants have no obvious effect on their own but together can tip the balance of whether and how a disease will appear, even in the absence of a primary variant.
—Santhosh Girirajan, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Multispecifics, with their ability to address multiple targets simultaneously, could eventually tip the balance further by improving the durability of response and reducing resistance.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In the intense global LiDAR race, this agility could tip the balance.
—Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tip the balance
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Other times, secondary variants have no obvious effect on their own but together can tip the balance of whether and how a disease will appear, even in the absence of a primary variant.
—Santhosh Girirajan, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Multispecifics, with their ability to address multiple targets simultaneously, could eventually tip the balance further by improving the durability of response and reducing resistance.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In the intense global LiDAR race, this agility could tip the balance.
—Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tip the balance
Cite this Entry
“Tip the balance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tip%20the%20balance. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share