as in cargo
heavy material (such as rocks or water) that is put on a ship to make it steady or on a balloon to control its height in the air
—often used figuratively
A large amount of ballast kept the boat from capsizing. She provided the ballast the family needed in times of stress.
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Recent Examples of ballast
Some of the young women who lived there say the support was critical — ballast in a storm.
—
Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
When the Fed began raising rates in 2022, the correlation between stocks and bonds turned positive — meaning that bonds weren’t the portfolio ballast investors were expecting.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
Ballplayers will quickly sniff out a manager who lacks the temperament and ballast for the job.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
When the Fed began raising rates in 2022, the correlation between stocks and bonds turned positive — meaning that bonds weren’t the portfolio ballast investors were expecting.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
Ballplayers will quickly sniff out a manager who lacks the temperament and ballast for the job.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
-
My cargo capri pants have a flexible waistband for easy sitting in cramped plane seats, while my breezy jumpsuit is a one-and-done casual outfit.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
The Outback continues to balance passenger comfort with true utility thanks to its 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, multi-use cargo area and substantial roof rail system capable of supporting up to 800 pounds of static load capacity.—
Tim Jackson,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, the country sits at the center of issues Democrats should own; housing costs, insurance, infrastructure strain, transportation, freight, warehousing, public safety, healthcare access, working-class economic anxiety, collapse of trust in institutions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
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Officials say the change is also designed to improve travel reliability through a key freight and commuter route on the east side of the metro area.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
This means that a small engine can handle immense power loads without generating wasteful heat.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
-
In that way, public adjusters might help lighten a load for an insurance company employee by clearing away some of the clutter in a claim with the client.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Upgraded features include enhanced on-and-off loading, including the ability for families to roll strollers directly into the glass cabin with ease.—
Carly Caramanna,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
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Designed with a front-loading ramp, the craft allowed troops, vehicles, and supplies to land directly onto beaches during amphibious assaults.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Another was to diversify revenue beyond just shooting payloads into orbit.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2026
-
The science payload to be landed there includes seismometers, a drill to allow emplacement of heat flow and electrical conductivity probes, and instruments to study the magnetic field and surface weathering.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Cargill built a large soybean-lading facility at Santarem, some 500 miles up the Amazon.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
-
One example can be as simple as shipments that are missing bills of lading or origin documents.—
Forbes,
Forbes,
1 June 2021
Noun
-
European participation is essential to increase legitimacy, improve enforcement, and reinforce the principle that Europe must carry more of the burden for European security.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Players are allowed to want to play at a time slot that maximizes their chances for winning; pushing for scheduling that benefits the women’s tour shouldn’t have to be their burden to bear during a Grand Slam.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Noun
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Additionally, the central bank said the total deadweight tonnage of all vessels departing from or arriving at Canadian ports fell from 167 million metric tons in 2016 to 119 million metric tons in 2023, a decline of 28 percent of maritime trade capacity.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
21 May 2026
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As if moving his muscular deadweight weren’t a task itself for the two girls, there’s a point where Jinx falls onto Margo and pins her underwater in the tub.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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