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
But Stanfield in particular also serves as a moral compass, or at least a dose of common sense, offering ballast to the proceedings.
—
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Oct. 2025
All of the turbine’s parts, among which its mooring cables, turbine gearboxes, and ballast control systems were reportedly designed and manufactured in China.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
The declaration leaves the teams and drivers with two options — wear the cooling vest or carry more ballast in their car.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
That may well be called prescience, but without more dramatic ballast, whether or not Family’s rage was ahead of its time becomes a less compelling question.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Oct. 2025
All of the turbine’s parts, among which its mooring cables, turbine gearboxes, and ballast control systems were reportedly designed and manufactured in China.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
The declaration leaves the teams and drivers with two options — wear the cooling vest or carry more ballast in their car.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
That may well be called prescience, but without more dramatic ballast, whether or not Family’s rage was ahead of its time becomes a less compelling question.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
-
Though the aircraft was not carrying any hazardous cargo, officials are continuing to monitor Louisville’s air quality after the crash scattered a half-mile-long debris field and sent thick plumes of smoke into the air.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk of cargo backups at these Texas ports due to unpaid employees calling in sick.—
The NPR Network,
NPR,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The global picture Following Electreon’s success near Paris, concessionaires are evaluating dynamic charging for major freight corridors.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Three crew members aboard the freight plane are believed to be among those found dead, Kentucky officials said.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But, at a moment when big narrative audio studios are shuttering, loads of people are being laid off and fewer documentary series are being made, this sentence really struck a nerve in the industry of folks who produce, write, edit and sound design longform narrative audio.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
That could mean co-locating with renewables, using batteries to extend solar availability, or making data centers flexible enough to shift heavy compute loads to periods of abundant clean power.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Most seemed to be triggered by physical exertion—loading sandbags before Hurricane Wilma, for example, or bailing water out of a car owing to Hurricane Floyd.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
-
All the other tenants will have street-level loading access, and delivery trucks will be able to park in the back of the buildings.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Thus far, Russian air defenses have been able to defeat up to 95 percent of Ukrainian drones, and given the small payload of the Ukrainian munitions, only around half the drones that reach a target have actually done meaningful damage.—
Jack Watling,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Nov. 2025
-
After the booster separates from the rest of the vehicle, the upper stage carrying the payload fairing will continue in space, helping to send the ESCAPADE satellites to Mars.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Conclusion Electric roads offer a transformative approach to decarbonizing transport and reducing battery burdens.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
-
By addressing it daily, your clothes chair remains useful for quick drops but won’t become a burden.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The university that once promised to buoy scientific aspirations now feels like a deadweight.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The project reportedly took place at the COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China’s Putuo District, on Grand Pioneer, a 325,000 deadweight-ton very large ore carrier (VLOC) operated by the Taiwanese company.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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