ballast

noun bal·last \ ˈba-ləst \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of ballast

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)

— in ballast

of a ship : having only ballast for a load

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Recent Examples of ballast from the Web

Paired with rookie Walker Buehler, Stripling has provided ballast for the rotation.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Matt Kemp puts on offensive show in Dodgers' 8-2 win over the Phillies," 31 May 2018
The Grammys rarely if ever showcase actual gospel music — and this would have been a great year to do so! — but choirs abound, providing sturdy ballast for unsteady performers.

— jon pareles, jon caramanica, joe coscarelli and caryn ganz, New York Times, "The Best and Worst of the Grammys," 29 Jan. 2018
Police and firefighters trekked across the uneven grassland behind the Manders’ duplex, around a railroad service building and over the sharp ballast stones to the tracks.

— jsonline.com, "CHAPTER 2: THE SHADOW MAN," 6 Sep. 2017
As a ballast against the whims of the fashion cycle, Vans can always fall back on its roots and legacy.

— john vorwald, GQ, "How Vans Got Everyone Wearing Vans Again," 4 May 2018
Such dark elements provide emotional ballast to what might otherwise have been a merely silly tale.

— ron charles, chicagotribune.com, "As a novelist, David Duchovny is no Sean Penn," 3 May 2018
Marvel Studios Using Gamora and Scarlet Witch as ballasts for their male counterparts betrays everything those characters are supposed to be.

— yolanda machado, Marie Claire, "Marvel's 'Infinity War' Totally Misses With Its Female Characters," 27 Apr. 2018
The problem is that ballast water is anything but dead weight.

— dan egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "U.S. Senate voting this week on looser rules for Great Lakes ships dumping ballast water," 17 Apr. 2018
Climb the famous 99 steps,which date back to the 18th century — the bricks were once used as ballast on Danish merchant ships that once frequented the harbor.

— Daily Intelligencer, "Authentic Ways to Experience 5 Caribbean Islands," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ballast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ballast

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year