Overbalance

To lose or nearly lose one's balance, often due to an excessive shift in weight or an external force. This can manifest physically, such as tilting precariously, or metaphorically, describing a situation where something, like a budget or a negotiation, tips unfavorably. It implies a state of instability or precariousness. The act of overbalancing usually results in a loss of control, whether in movement or a larger context. It can involve tilting, teetering, or reaching a tipping point, where equilibrium is lost, and a fall or failure becomes imminent.

Overbalance meaning with examples

• Climbing the ladder, he overbalanced slightly when reaching for the top rung, but quickly regained his footing. The sudden gust of wind almost caused her to overbalance as she stood on the cliff edge. After the earthquake, the building began to overbalance, leading to its eventual collapse. His attempts to carry too many groceries at once caused him to overbalance and drop everything. The reckless investor overbalanced his portfolio with high-risk stocks, and the market downturn erased his gains.
• The tightrope walker had to make constant micro-adjustments to avoid overbalancing and falling. Her laughter caused her to overbalance, falling into her friends. The rickety old chair threatened to overbalance every time someone sat on it. Due to the extra weight the ship was starting to overbalance to the starboard. The government's budget plan risked overbalancing the national debt.
• As he shifted his weight, he could feel himself begin to overbalance towards the steep drop. She was careful not to overbalance while walking on the icy path. The stack of books threatened to overbalance with every breeze. His eagerness to close the deal caused him to overbalance with concessions, giving away too much. The social media storm caused the political campaign to overbalance, becoming detrimental to public image.
• The toddler, still learning to walk, would frequently overbalance and land in a heap of giggles. The ship started to overbalance in the storm, and the crew raced to shift the cargo. His attempts to impress her caused him to overbalance with flattery. She nearly overbalanced when trying to put all of the presents into the car. The manager overbalanced the schedule resulting in severe worker exhaustion.
• He nearly overbalanced as the rollercoaster unexpectedly plunged downwards. The truck's load was uneven, causing it to overbalance on the turn. The climber, fatigued, almost overbalanced while scaling the icy wall. He had to be careful not to overbalance the situation with personal attacks. He overbalanced his generosity with poor people and it exhausted him.