balancing the budget

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "balancing the budget" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing financial management, particularly in the context of ensuring that expenditures do not exceed revenues. Example: "The government is focused on balancing the budget to avoid increasing the national debt."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

4. Forget About Ever Balancing The Budget.

Forbes

Balancing the budget?

The New York Times

"It's about balancing the budget".

The New York Times

Forget about balancing the budget.

The New York Times

Is it just about balancing the budget?

The New York Times

The first stage involved balancing the budget.

The Economist

Anyone for balancing the budget?

The Washington Post

"He ran on balancing the budget.

The New York Times

Bigger things, like balancing the budget, seem impossible.

The Economist

Balancing the budget is not just a math problem.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

"At the same time being in Congress, [balancing] the budget.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing long-term financial planning, use "balancing the budget" to emphasize the need to match income and expenses over a specific period.

Common error

Avoid using "balancing the budget" to describe temporary measures that don't address underlying structural issues in revenue or spending. Ensure the actions taken contribute to sustained equilibrium, rather than just a one-time fix.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "balancing the budget" typically functions as a gerund phrase acting as a noun. Ludwig AI supports this by providing examples where it serves as the subject or object of a sentence, representing the act of achieving financial equilibrium.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

25%

Science

5%

Less common in

Academia

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "balancing the budget" is a very common and grammatically correct gerund phrase used to describe the act of aligning income with expenditures, especially in financial contexts. According to Ludwig AI, this phrase sees frequent use in news, formal business settings, and economics, reflecting a neutral to professional register. Related phrases include "achieving fiscal balance" and "ensuring budgetary equilibrium". A key writing tip is to employ this term when denoting long-term financial strategies, avoiding its misapplication to short-term, unsustainable fixes.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Achieving fiscal balance

Replaces "budget" with "fiscal balance", focusing on the broader financial aspect.

Ensuring budgetary equilibrium

Substitutes "balancing" with "ensuring" and "budget" with "budgetary equilibrium", adding a sense of stability.

Maintaining fiscal solvency

Replaces the idea of balancing with ensuring long-term financial health.

Budget reconciliation

Focuses on the process of aligning budget figures.

Achieving budget neutrality

Emphasizes a state where the budget has no surplus or deficit.

Budgetary equilibrium

A more concise term focusing on the state of balance.

Fiscal prudence

Implies careful management to avoid deficits.

Prudent financial management

Highlights careful and responsible handling of finances.

Sound economic stewardship

Broadens the scope to overall economic management.

Financial equilibrium

Focuses on the overall balance of financial aspects.

FAQs

How can I use "balancing the budget" in a sentence?

You can use "balancing the budget" to describe efforts to eliminate a budget deficit, such as, "The government's primary goal is "balancing the budget" within the next five years".

What are some alternatives to saying "balancing the budget"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "achieving fiscal balance", "ensuring budgetary equilibrium", or "maintaining fiscal solvency".

What does "balancing the budget" mean in economic terms?

"Balancing the budget" refers to ensuring that government revenues are equal to or greater than government expenditures over a specific period, thus avoiding a budget deficit.

What are common strategies for "balancing the budget"?

Common strategies include increasing tax revenue, reducing government spending, or a combination of both. Policies aimed at stimulating economic growth can also contribute to "balancing the budget" by increasing tax revenues.