ballast

noun

Definition of ballastnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ballast That means multiple family members can drive the same kart, and if there’s a minimum weight requirement in your class, there’s space for 33 pounds (15 kilograms) of ballast. — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 10 Sep. 2026 Moss-Bachrach, grizzled and heartbreaking as the father, gives the film its ballast. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 The arrival of Stan Kroenke, whose sports empire includes the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Premier League’s Arsenal, among others, brings with it ballast. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026 For most investors, bonds are a component of their accounts and usually (though not always) provide a ballast against stock volatility. — Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
  1. cargo
  2. freight
  3. load
  4. loading
  5. payload
  6. lading
  7. burden
  8. deadweight
Noun
  • The ministry said that port and ship repair facilities in the southern Odesa region and ships carrying cargo for the Ukrainian military were also hit.
    — SAMYA KULLAB, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The mission also delivered about 1,800 pounds of cargo to the station and returned about the same amount of stuff back to Earth.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of cargo
Noun
  • The logistics data points to pressure extending beyond the ports, with businesses facing tighter warehouse availability and elevated freight costs even as the peak shipping period begins to recede.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Atlas Survival Shelters, a Texas manufacturer, lists modular steel models starting around $60,000, with larger versions climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, before freight and installation.
    — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of freight
Noun
  • Such truckers work load to load and often can’t raise rates when fuel prices spike, the way their larger competitors can.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • SpaceX is already running a massive load of Nvidia AI chips and has plans to add to it.
    — Seema Mody, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of load
Noun
  • The BetMGM app is slower loading and the bet builder is a little clunky.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • While top-loading machines don’t have as many problems with moldy door seals, letting the drum dry when the machine is not in use is still a good idea.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of loading
Noun
  • The payloads on the Transporter-18 Varda craft ranged from pharmaceuticals to demo navigation systems to exterior thermal-protection materials.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Designed for high payload capacity and cost efficiency, Nebula-2 can support a wide range of space missions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of payload
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
Definition of lading
Noun
  • And the global threats to health risk amplifying existing inequalities, with the greatest burden falling on the most vulnerable communities.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • But carrying that burden forward with nothing more than hope to balance it, passing it on to future generations, explaining it to strangers, is too much.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of burden
Noun
  • By upgrading synthetic skin from a passive sensor into an energy harvester, the Fudan team offers a clever alternative to deadweight batteries.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • QuantCube’s indicator measures the volume of deadweight tonnage leaving Iraqi and UAE ports, which provides an estimate of the cargo weight the ships are carrying.
    — Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 9 June 2026
Definition of deadweight

Browse Nearby Words

ballads
ballast
ballasts
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Cite this Entry

“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ballast

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ballast

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