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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ballasts
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
Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballasts
Noun
-
Designer Hillary Taymour sent voluminous denim cargos with peplum at the waist down the runway.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Not long before Oprah showed off her brown cargos, Gwyneth Paltrow wore a navy blue pair with a cropped trench coat.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
All loads easier than wrangling an ungainly bird half the table doesn’t really much care for anyway (what?—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The value of walnuts spiked last year after cratering in the years prior, but relatively small loads of walnuts still sell for modest prices.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
However, arms control agreements limit current loadings to four or five.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While the details remain classified, the goal is to build and launch a network of hundreds of spy satellites—or maybe more—with specialized intelligence payloads into low earth orbit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
SpaceX additionally benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense by providing launch services for classified satellites and other payloads.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In real materials, large angles that could create bigger matrix weights also stiffen the input path, reducing motion at the output.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
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Holding this position, row the weights up to your hips by bending your elbows to a 45-degree angle.—
Leoni Jesner,
Health,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But opponents say historic status could inhibit and delay any future redevelopment, including on KC Life’s vacant land, while placing new costs and burdens on homeowners in the neighborhood.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The department will be asking the state legislature for $120 million in additional funding, but the money is not guaranteed to be approved, particularly in the face of budget uncertainty after Congress passed a bill in July that puts new financial burdens on states.—
Elliot Haspel,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Part of being a good storyteller is knowing which stories should be told and which might be better kept in the drafts.—
Jihan Forbes,
Allure,
29 Oct. 2025
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Many Adidas hoodies have ribbing in the cuffs and along the hem that helps prevent cold drafts from getting in.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballasts. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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