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balancer

swing, sway

verb bah-lahn-SEH Less Common
Body & Health Movement

Also means

throw out, get rid of (informal)

Usage Note

Balancer means to swing or rock something back and forth (balancer les bras — to swing one's arms). In informal French, balancer quelque chose means to throw or toss it out, and balancer quelqu'un means to rat someone out. Se balancer (to sway, to swing) is used both literally (se balancer sur une chaise) and in the dismissive idiom je m'en balance — I couldn't care less.

Examples

"L'enfant se balance sur sa chaise."

Natural Translation

The child is rocking on his chair.

Literal Translation

The-child oneself rocks on his chair

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