From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhang in the balancehang in the balanceUNCERTAINif something hangs in the balance, it is not certain what will happen to it The future of the company hangs in the balance. → hang
Examples from the Corpus
hang in the balance• World leaders are meeting to discuss the situation, with peace in the region hanging in the balance.• His career, much more than mine, hangs in the balance.• That prohibition still persists, and legislation to open the nation's woodlands up to its people hangs 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.• Which Minister is the pits with the miners whose livelihoods now hang in the balance?• But because public health hangs in the balance, experts are already seeking changes in food policy.• Meanwhile, with its future hanging in the balance, Fokker is starting to feel the pinch. 