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 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 In shallow areas, the ship pumps out ballast to decrease its draft. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026 The very dullness of it lends the alliances a ballast in the face of a turbulent political cycle. — Kurt M. Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ballast

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast

Noun

Russian attacks on cargo vessels have severely disrupted Kyiv's exports, hurting its economy and threatening global supplies.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
The reality, however, appears to be that Isaacman does not want to cede any more time in this race and is thus pushing for as many cargo and crew missions as possible to the Moon as soon as possible.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of cargo

Noun

The freight push dovetails with Gulf governments’ longer-running ambition to link the peninsula’s cities by passenger rail, a plan the war has made more urgent.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Multiple companies, including Microsoft and Pepsi, joined together to request the diesel-less freight movers.

— Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of freight

Noun

The museum has drawn loads of applause but also plenty of criticism, mostly for its lack of context via wall text, and for displaying art that not everyone agrees should be elevated.

— Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
The work is to keep asking, at every new scale, which of your commitments are still load-bearing, and to notice the moment one of them is not.

— Amir Wain, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of load

Noun

This is why the service is offered at affordable prices to enable startups and growing businesses to benefit from the critical structural elements of a website, such as clear messaging, fast loading time and ease of customer lead generation.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Study equipment access, machine loading, ambient conditions, aisle traffic, connectivity and technician decisions alongside model performance.

— Mohammed Cherifi, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of loading

Noun

Carbon fiber frame weighs just six pounds The team’s main engineering achievement was reducing the drone’s structural weight while maintaining the strength needed to carry a heavy payload.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Given that Starship can carry payloads of up to 100 tonnes, this represents only a fraction of its capacity.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of payload

Noun

Thinking about other options that can relieve some of the burden on you is also a loving act.

— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
The administration has also fired federal workers, imposed a historic increase in tariffs, and started the war in Iran without going through Congress, putting the burden on the judicial branch to determine the limits of presidential power.

— Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of burden

Noun

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
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

Definition of deadweight

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ballads

ballast

ballasts

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“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ballast

noun

Example Sentences

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