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
The crew reports that a port ballast tank is losing water which suggests some form of hull breach but the ship remains stable and safely afloat.
—
CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
At the end of each leg is a ballast that reaches 20 meters deep.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Mar. 2026
Some people regard weed-killers and herbicides as dangerous for consumers and the environment, an attitude lent ballast by lawsuits filed against the makers of Roundup, owned previously by Monsanto and now part of Bayer.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Upon reaching land, the ballast was emptied, to be replaced by cargo on its return voyage.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballast
CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
At the end of each leg is a ballast that reaches 20 meters deep.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Mar. 2026
Some people regard weed-killers and herbicides as dangerous for consumers and the environment, an attitude lent ballast by lawsuits filed against the makers of Roundup, owned previously by Monsanto and now part of Bayer.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Upon reaching land, the ballast was emptied, to be replaced by cargo on its return voyage.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
-
Comparable cargo e-bikes like the Rad Power RadWagon ($2,399) and the Specialized Haul ST ($2,700) will run you significantly more.—
Erica Zazo,
Outside,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The last cargo ships that left the Gulf before the war started have nearly all reached their destination in Asia, which is likely to face the first visible demand losses in April, according to JPMorgan.—
Chloé Farand,
semafor.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the sector is reliant on just-in-time air freight, and routes have become longer and more expensive because of the Iran war’s disruption to Gulf air hubs, forcing some producers to discard as much as half of their flowers.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The Swedish retailer has a relatively low exposure to the Middle East, with about 3% of its stores in the region and a low share of air freight in its supply chain.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When a developer wants to connect a data center — or any other large load project — to the Texas power grid, that company must undergo a transmission study to ensure that the grid has enough wiring to transmit power.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
-
At the University of Colorado Boulder, annual costs can top $38,000 including food, housing, books and transportation for in-state students with a full-time credit load.—
Kaelyn Lara,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On Sunday, Ukrainian drones attacked Primorsk, Russia's largest oil export port on the Baltic Sea, damaging an oil reservoir and oil loading infrastructure, Ukraine's general staff said in a social media post.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The shooter and his pals passed the gun to each other in a bedroom, loading and unloading the ammo, prosecutors say.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Using standard attachments and a payload system that allowed for quick swap-outs, it's been possible to make surprisingly large changes to the spyplane, including adding an extra seat for trainers or missions that require a specialist operator.—
David Szondy
March 29,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, will haul the 119 payloads to low Earth orbit, where they'll be deployed starting about 55 minutes after liftoff.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 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
-
The new school is expected to ease a long-standing burden for families living south of Idaho Highway 44.—
Noah Daly,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Nothing except getting into fierce arguments with fellow-Jews, some would say, which Olitzky—who has a round, boyish face and a conciliatory manner—portrayed as a privilege rather than a burden.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But engineers at Nissan are looking at the battery pack as more than just deadweight to be carried around.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The university that once promised to buoy scientific aspirations now feels like a deadweight.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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