as in cargoes
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 ballasts
Federal officials recently launched a prize competition to reward ideas for controlling the flow of aquatic species into and out of the ballasts of boats that travel among the various lakes and waterways across the United States.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 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
Cheaper options or knock-offs tend to come with flimsy sockets, buzzing ballasts, or unreliable switches, which can make rooms look cheap or dated far sooner than expected and even create fire hazards.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026
Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years.
—ABC News, 12 Mar. 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
Cheaper options or knock-offs tend to come with flimsy sockets, buzzing ballasts, or unreliable switches, which can make rooms look cheap or dated far sooner than expected and even create fire hazards.
—Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballasts
Noun
-
Look for a pair with rich texture, like snakeskin, woven leather, or crocodile print, to dress up a pair of light-wash cargos.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
-
Below, shop more summer-ready pants, including these silk palazzos, Tencel cargos, and more from $40.—
Olivia Dubyak,
PEOPLE,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
The initial system, named Eos, serves as a large-scale prototype designed to achieve steady-state fusion and test structural integrity under real operational loads.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
-
Einride's proprietary optimization software, Saga AI, is also being used to manage EV execution of select Amazon loads, including charging planning.—
Eric Rosenbaum,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Observable loadings have declined since the blockade, although the data can be difficult to interpret and often shows up on a delay.—
Anthony Di Paola,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
Windward said more than two dozen tankers are confined west of Hormuz as of Wednesday, with the blockade cutting Iranian oil loadings and exports by more than half.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The kits are based on Teledyne FLIR’s R80D SkyRaider unmanned aerial system and will include modular chemical, biological, and radiological detection payloads, along with resilient communications technologies.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
7 June 2026
-
The new contract focuses on reducing the risk factors for Quarthorse, especially in propulsion, thermal management, and power generation, as well as being able to release payloads at speeds up to Mach 3.—
David Szondy
June 04,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Working on a craft project, detailing a car, weeding a garden, practicing your basketball shot, lifting weights – all these activities can foster patience too.—
Christian B. Miller,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
-
Researchers defined strength training as exercises using weights or body weight, such as press ups, squats and lunges.—
Sara Moniuszko,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Many child care workers are responsible for children’s safety, learning and development while managing extensive training requirements, heavy documentation burdens and large classroom demands.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
-
The tool breaks cases down by age, race and neighborhood, revealing that seniors, Black residents and inland valley communities bear disproportionate heat burdens tied to poverty, outdoor work and lack of cooling.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Early drafts of the council’s report included the suggestion of cutting FEMA’s workforce in half.—
Mallory Wilson,
The Hill,
4 June 2026
-
Editors who prioritize style are already hunting drafts for the type of muddy turns of phrase and mixed metaphors that LLMs are known to deploy.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ballasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballasts. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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