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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ballast
State officials say the mussels can hide in ballast tanks, live wells, and engine systems, surviving long trips and posing risks to even remote mountain lakes.
—
Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The maritime archaeologist identified shell impact holes in the upper starboard of the hull’s ballast tank and significant battle damage to the base of the submarine’s conning tower.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025
The mussels easily make their way into live wells, bilges and ballast tanks, watercraft’s engine systems, plumbing and other compartments onboard boats.
—Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Without sufficient ballast, its word balloons threaten to float charmingly away.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The maritime archaeologist identified shell impact holes in the upper starboard of the hull’s ballast tank and significant battle damage to the base of the submarine’s conning tower.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2025
The mussels easily make their way into live wells, bilges and ballast tanks, watercraft’s engine systems, plumbing and other compartments onboard boats.
—Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Without sufficient ballast, its word balloons threaten to float charmingly away.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
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The crew of a cargo ship carrying around 3,000 vehicles, including 800 electric vehicles, abandoned it off the coast of Alaska after a fire broke out onboard, its operator Zodiac Maritime said on Wednesday.—
Jonathan Saul,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
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And maybe Dometic could follow up with some compatible cargo boxes so even more of one's base camping haul can fit together like a high-efficiency 3D puzzle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Although attendees didn’t know it at the time, Aurora trucks were already on the road running driverless in commercial freight hauling – a world first.—
Richard Bishop,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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Regardless of how the tariff situation plays out for goods flown out of China and the Asia Pacific region, the uncertainty is leading the air freight sector to a slower year than originally anticipated.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
User Experience Vibe coding can add cognitive load for users by introducing unnecessary steps.—
Naresh Prajapati,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
In this case, wing flexibility is a crucial way to create more aerodynamic load.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
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At Mean Mule, a distillery also in the Crossroads, the grant is helping activate a loading dock located off the alley at the back of their building.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2025
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The men allegedly crawled out of the hole to a loading dock, scaled an exterior concrete wall of the jail complex and darted across a freeway to freedom.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Blue Ghost is designed to deliver 10 NASA payloads.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 June 2025
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Weighing roughly 6,500 pounds, the aircraft will have a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds and can be charged in minutes.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
3 June 2025
Noun
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One example can be as simple as shipments that are missing bills of lading or origin documents.—
Forbes,
Forbes,
1 June 2021
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According to bills of lading and other records provided to the San Antonio Express-News by officials at 23 food banks, CRE8AD8 delivered about 147,000 boxes total to food banks.—
Tom Orsborn,
ExpressNews.com,
1 July 2020
Noun
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To age safely and comfortably at home, embrace smart-home technology to help ease the physical and mental burden of daily tasks.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2025
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Raising the number of classes or credit hours is likely to place an overwhelming burden on Latino students.—
Noreen Sugrue,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Noun
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So, in certain industries, the risk of outsourcing may well outweigh the deadweight loss resulting from tariffs or any other form of free trade barriers.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
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Losing that 200 pounds of deadweight has freed me up to focus on advancing my career.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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