hang in the balance

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

hang in the balance (third-person singular simple present hangs in the balance, present participle hanging in the balance, simple past and past participle hung in the balance)

1. (idiomatic) To be in a precarious situation, unsure of the future.

   His life was left hanging in the balance after he was shot in the side.

Translations

to be in a precarious situation

• Finnish: olla vaakalaudalla
• Italian: essere in bilico
• Spanish: pender de un hilo (es)

Further reading

• “in the balance”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.