ballasts

plural of ballast
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballasts
Noun
  • 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
  • Aknvas played with cargos, lacing, ruffles and peplum silhouettes as well.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This dual-purpose design requires exceptional stiffness, vibration control, and precision engineering, allowing heavy highway loads and high-speed rail traffic to share the same structure safely.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Same question, loads of responses.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • However, arms control agreements limit current loadings to four or five.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • According to Gosselin, this opens the door to developing larger-scale models suitable for heavier payloads or broader applications.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 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, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • WalletHub then evaluated the five dimensions using 45 relevant metrics, with their corresponding weights.
    Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Squeezing a tennis ball for five to 10 seconds for a few rounds is a way to start improving your strength, followed by incorporating exercises that utilize kettlebells and weights.
    Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Organizers said donations will help ease medical and financial burdens for the family during his recovery.
    Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Yes, incoming transfers such as Morris and Taylor have eased the line’s burdens, but much of the credit belongs to program mainstays such as senior left tackle McKale Boley.
    David Teel, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • After recording just five sacks in the first four games, the Cowboys’ defensive front finally came alive with five Sunday against a Jets franchise that has invested first-round picks on their offensive line in each of the past two drafts.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
  • These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
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.

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“Ballasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballasts. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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