▪ I. overbalance, n.
(əʊvəˈbæləns)
[f. next.]
1. Excess of weight, value, or amount; preponderance.
| 1659 Harrington Lawgiving i. i. Wks. (1700) 387 The overbalance of Land, three to one or therabouts, in one Man against the whole People, creates Absolute Monarchy. 1659–60 Pepys Diary 14 Jan., I..heard exceeding good argument against Mr. Harrington's assertion, that overbalance of propriety [i.e. property] was the foundation of government. 1736 Butler Anal. i. vii. 127 An Overbalance of Good will, in the End, be found produced. 1853 De Quincey Autobiog. Sk. Wks. I. 339 Amongst all the celebrated letter-writers of the past or present times, a large overbalance happens to have been men. |
† b. Commerce. spec. Excess in the value of the exports over the imports of a country. Obs.
| 1641 Decay Trade 1 The profit or losse which is made by the over or underbalance of our Forraigne Trade. 1691 Locke Lower. Interest Wks. 1727 II. 71 An Over-balance of Trade, is when the Quantity of Commodities which we send to any Country do more than pay for those we bring from thence. 1721 C. King Brit. Merch. II. 6 The French Trade exhausted our Treasure... By bringing in upon us a great Over-ballance of the Manufactures of that Country; and by taking from us the Ballance in Money. |
c. in overbalance: as a preponderating element or consideration.
| 1724 Swift Drapier's Lett. ii. vii. Wks. 1761 III. 127 Putting our interest in overbalance with the ruin of the country. |
2. Something that turns the scale, outweighs, or overbalances.
| 1658–9 Burton's Diary (1828) III. 217, I am not willing, nor free to trust him with your militia. I speak plain. The army will be an overbalance. |
▪ II. overbalance, v.
(əʊvəˈbæləns)
[over- 24, 6.]
1. trans. To do more than balance; to outweigh.
| 1608 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. iii. Schism 117 My little finger over-balanceth My Father's loynes. 1690 Child Disc. Trade (ed. 4) 169 When the Exports over-ballance the Imports. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 432, I had vexation enough to over-ballance the satisfaction of that. 1855 Cornwall 221 The expenses overbalanced the profit. |
† b. To prove more influential than. Obs.
| a 1670 Spalding Troub. Chas. I (1851) II. 96 In end he over-ballanced the erll, do what he could, and wan his poynt. |
c. absol. To preponderate, to have greater power or influence.
| 1658–9 Burton's Diary (1828) IV. 40 When they had great estates they did overbalance. 1736 Pulteney in Swift's Lett. (1766) II. 245 Learning and good sense he hath..if the love of riches and power do not overbalance. |
† 2. To bias by superior weight or numbers.
| 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. i. §184 The number of them [Bishops] was thought too great, so that they Over-ballanced many Debates. |
3. To destroy the balance or equilibrium of; to capsize; refl. and intr. To lose one's balance.
| 1834 Lytton Pompeii iii. ii, Permit me to move opposite to thee, or our light boat will be overbalanced. 1861 Times 25 June 9 A man alone in a boat..reaching out..overbalanced, and fell into the water, and was drowned. 1881 J. F. T. Keane Journ. Medinah i. 16 You may over⁓balance and bring down the whole concern. 1884 Pae Eustace 9 He overbalanced himself, and the next moment, he, too, was in the river. |
Hence overˈbalancing vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 463 But when they did set it to the beame..they could not but yeeld in their hearts, there was no ouerballancing. 1648 Eikon Bas. i, By the weight of Reason I should counterpoize the over-ballancings of any factions. 1719 W. Wood Surv. Trade 85 Unless the Goods we import from an over-balancing Country be Re-exported. 1805 Foster Ess. i. iii. 32 A gigantic and overbalancing strength. |