From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe/hang in the balancebe/hang in the balanceUNCERTAINif the future or success of something hangs in the balance, you cannot yet know whether the result will be bad or good Meanwhile, the fate of the refugees continues to hang in the balance. → balance
Examples from the Corpus
be/hang in the balance• The survival of the African elephant hangs in the balance.• Meanwhile, with its future hanging in the balance, Fokker is starting to feel the pinch.• But because public health hangs in the balance, experts are already seeking changes in food policy.• His career, much more than mine, hangs in the balance.• Which Minister is the pits with the miners whose livelihoods now hang in the balance?• The negotiations are continuing, with prospects for peace hanging in the balance.• That prohibition still persists, and legislation to open the nation's woodlands up to its people hangs in the balance.• His career as a politician hung in the balance.• The future of the refuge still hangs in the balance.• The possibility of a nuclear exchange continued to hang in the balance.• I can't say what the outcome of the talks will be -- they're very much in the balance at the moment. 