equalizer

plural equalizers · alternative equaliser

1. One who makes equal; a balancer.

   Death is the great equalizer.

   2 more examples

   The Internet serves as an equalizer of sorts against common discriminations based on race, gender and age. You have to^([sic]) the opportunity to assess someone based on what they are saying, not WHO is saying it. I think this can provide for some very worthwhile exchanges and allow people who might not do so otherwise, to come to know each other. The downside is that as they say, on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. You can lie or say whatever you want and hide behind anonymity.

   2001 March 23, Julia L. Wilkinson, quoting Robert Seidman, “[An Awesome Tool; A New Way of Life] Benefits of USENET Bulletin Boards and the Internet Community”, in My Life at AOL, [Bloomington, Ind.]: 1stBooks, →ISBN, page 124

   Practically, it can be seen clearly that weeder courses are not equalizers. In fact, they exacerbate inequality and continue to push wealthy and privileged students to the top while putting down minority and low-income students.

   2024 September 16, Opinion Department, “TIAS | It’s Time to Weed Out Weeder Courses”, in The Cornell Daily Sun, archived from the original on 10 Jun 2025

2. A device that balances various quantities.
3. hobbiesA goal, run, point, etc. that equalizes the score.

   Mariners scored a run in the seventh inning and the equaliser in the top of the ninth, after Braves’ starting pitcher Ashley Crump had dominated—throwing six scoreless innings for just two hits.

   2011 May 16, Mike Driscoll, “Pirates plunder top spot with late attack”, in Illawarra Mercury, page 36

   1 more example

   [Bendtner was central to it at all, firstly firing home, via a deflection off Gareth McAuley, after being teed up by Sebastien Larsson's neat backheel, and then a minute later crossing for Elmohamady to head in an equaliser.

   2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 - 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2012

4. businessAn electronic audio device for altering the frequencies of sound recordings.

   Several digital effects are supported by Deck, ranging from a digital equalizer, which lets you accentuate or attenuate certain frequencies, to a stereoizer, which processes a mono- phonic recording to simulate stereo.

   1991, Macworld, volume 8, PC World Communications

5. A device, such as a bar, for operating two brakes, especially a pair of hub brakes for an automobile, with equal force.
6. Any device for equalizing the pull of electromagnets.
7. A conductor of low resistance joining the armature ends of the series field coils of dynamos connected in parallel.
8. A sliding panel to preserve the lateral stability of an aeroplane.
9. mathematicsA set of arguments where two or more functions have equal values; the solution set of an equation.
10. category theoryA morphism whose codomain is the domain of a parallel pair of morphisms and which forms part of the limit of that parallel pair. Equivalently, a morphism which equalizes a parallel pair of morphisms in a limiting way, which is to say that any other morphism which equalizes that parallel pair factors through this limiting morphism; and moreover such factorization is unique.
11. CanadaUSslangA weapon, usually a blackjack or gun.

    Familiar epithets for the revolver were equalizer, shootin' iron . . . smoke wagon.

    1950, C. Merton Babcock, “The Vocabulary of Social Life on the American Frontier”, in Western Folklore, volume 9, number 2, page 138