Counterbalance (6)
I believe the answer is:
offset
'counterbalance' is the definition.
(I know that counterbalance is a kind of offset)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for offset that I've seen before include "Amount by which a thing is out of line" , "Compensation; printing technique" , "Counteract to compensate" , "Counterbalance or compensate for" , "make an effort" .)