ballast

1 of 2

noun

bal·​last ˈba-ləst How to pronounce ballast (audio)
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
Glue was coming away from the seams of ballast bags, and mounting bolts threatened to rupture them; both sealing faces had errant plunge holes and O-ring grooves that deviated from standard design parameters. Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 1 July 2023 The vessels typically have inboard engines positioned toward the rear to keep the weight at the back and a special ballast that increases wake. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Feb. 2024 Insects, the ballast of food chains and essential pollinators that help nourish entire ecosystems, are in rampant decline across the world. Chang Che, New York Times, 27 July 2023 The mature Manzoni has a ballast and wisdom that none of his influential French predecessors, contemporaries, or successors manages, even opponents of the Jacobins and Napoleon such as Sismondi, Madame de Staël, or Benjamin Constant. David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 For years the Yale theologian and poet Christian Wiman has grappled with a cancer diagnosis and a difficult prognosis, white-knuckling through a rollercoaster of chemotherapy and pneumonias, turning to faith and family for anchorage, his notebook for emotional ballast. Hamilton Cain, WSJ, 26 Dec. 2023 The complex, four massive tents divided into private pods where families sleep on cots, is heated and fortified with ballasts that can reportedly withstand winds of nearly 70 miles an hour. Luis Feliz Leon, Curbed, 21 Dec. 2023 Efron’s portrayal of a man who fights for glory and for fame only to find himself at a remove from humanity has some heavy real-world ballast. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 14 Dec. 2023 This narrative gives ideological ballast to Russia’s efforts to challenge the existing global order and to its invasion of Ukraine as the defense of an imperiled Russian civilization. Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2023
Verb
There were two-piece yoga sets covered with bomber jackets — all ballasted by Balenciaga’s mech-warrior-size 10XL trainers. Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2024 The reopening timeline, the COVID-19 surcharge—even the free sandbags the city recently offered to restaurants, to help ballast their outdoor dining structures—all, in the end, place the burden of financial support on individuals, and individual transactions. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020 Longtermists have a remarkably weak appreciation for the zigzags and convulsions of recent history, which MacAskill sometimes blunders into to try and make or ballast a point. Alexander Zaitchik, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2022 Mottley had reduced the public work force and raised all sorts of taxes to ballast the government’s balance sheet. Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 27 July 2022 The species, which grows to 6 feet long and weighs up to 220 pounds, was prized for its swim bladder, or maw, an organ that helps ballast the animal. Adam Elder, Wired, 16 Apr. 2020 Amid that debate, the role of the editorial board is to provide Times readers with a long-range view formed not by one person’s expertise and experience but ballasted by certain institutional values that have evolved across more than 150 years. New York Times, 13 Jan. 2020 Some of that freshness comes from the cast, a cornucopia of effervescent young talent ballasted by a handful of doughty old-timers. New York Times, 23 Dec. 2019 Gillis said the new bridge will be ballasted, rather than fixed. Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, 21 Aug. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ballast.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballast was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near ballast

Cite this Entry

“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballast. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ballast

1 of 2 noun
bal·​last ˈbal-əst How to pronounce ballast (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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