Thesaurus results for BALLAST

ballast

noun

Definition of ballast

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 No 'immediate' return to 60/40 In addition to income, bonds may also provide ballast in broader portfolio. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for ballast

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast

Noun

The original bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in March 2024 after a cargo ship lost power and struck it, killing six construction workers.

— CBS Baltimore, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
SpaceX ultimately became the biggest success story of NASA’s commercial crew and cargo programs, allowing the space agency to send astronauts to the International Space Station without relying on Russia’s Soyuz rocket.

— Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of cargo

Noun

Judah Levine, Freightos' head of research, said in addition to higher fuel, demand for fast shipping of hardware used to build data centers is helping to boost air freight rates, even weeks before peak last-minute holiday packages take to the skies.

— Laya Neelakandan,Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
PlusAI is a company working on autonomous trucking solutions with Nvidia, and the sand was in the trailers to simulate freight loads.

— Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of freight

Noun

The successful campaign allowed engineers to assess how the magnet deforms under electromagnetic loads and compare its behavior with structural models.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
Rubber gaskets and seals help prevent leaks, especially in front-load models.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of load

Noun

Foraging there for sumac berries one day, Smith came across a loading dock that had been converted into a retention pond for managing runoff, where frogs were laying eggs as young tadpoles slithered along.

— Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 9 Nov. 2026
The new study did not test whether bone loading extends human life, let alone by an entire decade.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of loading

Noun

In September, the company confirmed those customers would contribute payloads alongside NASA cargo.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026
Vigoride 7 launched on March 30, along with many other payloads, aboard SpaceX's Transporter-16 rideshare mission.

— Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of payload

Noun

The state of Connecticut has one of the highest property tax burdens in the nation and among the highest costs for energy and housing.

— Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Film carries the burden of being popular in the present, but at the end of the day, the real challenge is to make something that can endure the test of time, like Vija does with her masterful work.

— Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 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

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“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of ballast

noun

Example Sentences

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