ballast

1 of 2

noun

bal·​last ˈba-ləst 

1

: a heavy substance (such as rocks or water) placed in such a way as to improve stability and control (as of the draft of a ship or the buoyancy of a balloon or submarine)

tossed several tons of ballast overboard

2

: something that gives stability (as in character or conduct)

She provided the ballast we needed during stressful times.

3

: gravel or broken stone laid in a railroad bed or used in making concrete

4

: a device used to provide the starting voltage or to stabilize the current in a circuit (as of a fluorescent lamp)

ballast

2 of 2

verb

ballasted; ballasting; ballasts

transitive verb

1

: to steady or equip with or as if with ballast

They ballast the canoe with large rocks.

2

: to fill in (something, such as a railroad bed) with ballast (see ballast entry 1 sense 3)

Phrases

in ballast

of a ship : having only ballast for a load

Examples of ballast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Doing so first required that ballast tanks aboard the ship - which had been filled with large amounts of water to prevent it from swaying - be emptied, allowing the Dali to rise from the floor of Maryland’s Patapsco river. —Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 21 May 2024

Authorities will later refloat the ship using a combination of a high tide and potentially the discharge of ballast water. —Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 10 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from Low German, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish & Swedish barlast ballast; perhaps akin to Old English bær bare & to Old English hlæst load, hladan to load — more at lade

Verb

derivative of ballast entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ballast

• in ballast

Kids Definition

ballast

1 of 2 noun

bal·​last ˈbal-əst 

1

: heavy material used especially to make a ship steady or to control the rising of a balloon

2

: gravel or broken stone laid in a foundation for a railroad or used in making concrete

ballast

2 of 2 verb

: to provide with ballast