Meanings
- pluralplural onlygovernmentA system for multiple branches of government wherein each has some control over the actions of each of the others.
1 more example
The Constitution deliberately makes the President and the Congress competitors as well as partners. The Founding Fathers created an elaborate system of checks and balances to keep each partner self-reliant while still assuring their interdependence. No brief account can fully capture the complexity of this relationship, in which each partner contributes his own share of stubbornness, pride, hostility, warmth, suspicion, skill, and affection.
1971, Lyndon Johnson, “Bite the Bullet”, in The Vantage Point, Holt, Reinhart & Winston, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 438
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of check and balance
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 政府機關彼此之間的相互制衡 /政府机关彼此之间的相互制衡, 權力制衡 /权力制衡
- 政府機關彼此之間的相互制衡 /政府机关彼此之间的相互制衡 (zhèngfǔ jīguān bǐcǐ zhījiān de xiānghù zhìhéng)system for balancing the powers between branches of government
- 權力制衡 /权力制衡 (quánlì zhìhéng)system for balancing the powers between branches of government
- 制衡原則 /制衡原则 (zhìhéng yuánzé)system for balancing the powers between branches of government
Finnish vallan tasapainotus
- vallan tasapainotussystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
French poids et contrepoids
- poids et contrepoidssystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
German gegenseitige Kontrolle, Gewaltenteilung
- gegenseitige Kontrollesystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
- Gewaltenteilungsystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
- Gewaltentrennungsystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Hungarian fékek és ellensúlyok
- fékek és ellensúlyoksystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Indonesian periksa dan timbang
- periksa dan timbangsystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Lithuanian stabdžių ir atsvarų sistema, stabdžių ir atsvarų mechanizmas
- stabdžių ir atsvarų sistemasystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
- stabdžių ir atsvarų mechanizmassystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Polish mechanizm kontroli i równowagi
- mechanizm kontroli i równowagisystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Portuguese freios e contrapesos
- freios e contrapesossystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Russian систе́ма сде́ржек и противове́сов
- систе́ма сде́ржек и противове́сов (sistéma sdéržek i protivovésov)system for balancing the powers between branches of government
Tagalog pagpigil at pagtimbang
- pagpigil at pagtimbangsystem for balancing the powers between branches of government
Ukrainian система стримувань і противаг
- система стримувань і противаг (systema strymuvanʹ i protyvah)system for balancing the powers between branches of government
Cite this entry
checks and balances. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checks%20and%20balances
“checks and balances.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checks%20and%20balances. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “checks and balances,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/checks%20and%20balances.
Source: checks and balances on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.