checks and balances

noun

plural in form but sometimes singular in construction

: a system that allows each branch of a government to amend, override, or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from exerting too much power or power beyond its authority

Things that for many decades were givens—the checks and balances on the executive, the role of the judiciary or the civil service, a media free from interference or vilification—now appear vulnerable.

—Emily Maitlis

"I do think that there is an expectation in our country that checks and balances is a good thing," [Senator John] Thune said …

—Stephen Groves

broadly : a system in which power and control is distributed and counterbalanced (as to prevent unethical or harmful actions)

Founders [of startup businesses] benefit from checks and balances. … It makes the company more trustworthy, easier to finance, and less likely to implode. For those same reasons, checks and balances help employees.

—Noam Wasserman

Examples of checks and balances in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Until these reforms happen, presidents will continue to exercise one of their most sweeping powers with no checks and balances. —Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 17 Jan. 2025

But there are many warning signs that Trump may try to weaken America’s system of checks and balances in an effort to grab unprecedented powers. —Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025

Nilus also takes these cash management policies into account, raising a flag when a company is about to fail its own checks and balances — or when those checks and balances are inadequate. —Lucinda Shen, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025

Companies developing access control technologies need to instill checks and balances on their authorization systems that ensure that the right person is there at the right time for the right reason. —Ram Nikhil Dodda, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

checks and balances

plural noun

: a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from having too much power

Legal Definition

checks and balances

noun plural

checks and bal·​anc·​es

-ˈba-lən-səz

: the powers (as judicial review, the presidential veto, and the congressional override) conferred on each of the three branches of government by which each restrains the others from exerting too much power see also separation of powers