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
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Recent Examples of ballast
South Africa’s business-friendly Democratic Alliance, which entered national government for the first time nearly 20 months ago, was expected to act as a stabilizing force — providing policy discipline, investor confidence, and institutional ballast.
—
Sam Mkokeli, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The projects will include replacing and upgrading railroad tracks, track infrastructure like ballast and rail ties and maintaining rolling stock.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
In addition to underwater hull preservation work, the company’s Southern California shipyard also will recondition the ship’s superstructure, interior fuel and ballast tanks, and refurbish crew living spaces.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Jan. 2026
Have bricks or river rocks concealed out of sight and ready to use as ballasts to hold the cloth in place against winds.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Sam Mkokeli, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The projects will include replacing and upgrading railroad tracks, track infrastructure like ballast and rail ties and maintaining rolling stock.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Jan. 2026
In addition to underwater hull preservation work, the company’s Southern California shipyard also will recondition the ship’s superstructure, interior fuel and ballast tanks, and refurbish crew living spaces.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Jan. 2026
Have bricks or river rocks concealed out of sight and ready to use as ballasts to hold the cloth in place against winds.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
-
In the waters off Singapore, a recently uncovered a shipwreck with a huge cargo of blue-and-white porcelain is shedding light on the storied Chinese craft produced during the turbulent era of the Mongol Empire.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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Massive cargo ships arrive daily from Asia, Europe and both coasts of the United States.—
Alma Solís,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Roux said adoption of electric freight technology still faces several risks, including regulatory delays for site approvals, high import duties, truck certification requirements and limited vehicle availability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
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The disruptions have impacted primary freight routes from the western port city Manzanillo to Guadalajara all the way into Tamaulipas, Mexico’s most northeastern state that borders Texas.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Because the engine can be controlled during flight, the system does not require the expensive thermal protection systems typically associated with extreme heat loads at hypersonic speeds.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Feb. 2026
-
His absence will likely require a heavier load on classmate Jayden Ross, who has been identified as a go-to wing defender off the bench.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Kharg Island has numerous loading berths, jetties, remote mooring points and tens of millions of barrels of crude storage capacity.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The market provides free carry-out services for loading zones and cars parked in the three lots immediately surrounding the grounds.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
February 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Of over 17,000 payloads launched into space, only six will escape the Solar System’s gravity.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
-
As a result, the upper stage ran out of propellant shortly before reaching its target deployment orbit, and the payload was lost.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
1 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
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But prevention alone will not offset the cumulative burden of chronic disease that’s already embedded in the American population.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
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The burden of those administrative costs — which made up 79% of all spending for the program in the county’s last fiscal year — far exceeds what is seen in the broader health care system, where administrative costs often account for up to 40% of total spending.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 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 4 Mar. 2026.
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