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
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
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
-
Five tankers, laden with cargoes including diesel and jet fuel, that were heading west have u-turned in recent days and are now going to East Asia, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.—
Nicholas Lua,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The Strait of Hormuz isn’t completely closed as several daring ship captains have risked attacks from Iran to transport cargoes through the narrow Persian Gulf waterway, with some claiming to be Chinese.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Managing airflow, structural loads, and engine performance in this regime requires careful testing, which is why developers typically expand speed limits gradually during early flight campaigns.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The lobby, with its bar, vintage photo booth, and live event space, acts as the hotel’s social heartbeat with loads of good company.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Saudi Arabia has increased crude loadings in recent weeks, and strategic petroleum reserves held by major consuming nations like China, could provide some temporary cushioning to the market, Rystad Energy said in a note Sunday.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The threat environment alone is enough to deter loadings and prompt diversions at the margin.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
By combining the guidance kit with different bomb bodies, militaries can create several JDAM variants with different payloads and effects.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Now, nearly 7 full years later, there are over 17,000 active and defunct satellite payloads in orbit, with approximately 100 times as many satellites proposed in the coming years.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Weights Shots come in weights from 6-20 pounds.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Starting with lighter weights, focusing on proper form, and increasing resistance gradually can greatly reduce injury risk.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And the way to make amends, to get better, to rid ourselves of those burdens of indiscretion is to suffer a little, to cleanse a lot, to reflect more than anything especially under the literal heat of adverse conditions.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
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Additionally, Texas had one of the most severe cost burdens for low-income renters of any state, according to the report.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Enjoy $5 craft drafts and seltzers, $1 popcorn and $3 burgers.—
Caroline Ritzie,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The Broncos have taken two offensive linemen — Alex Forsyth and Nick Gargiulo — in Payton’s three drafts in Denver, and never used more than a seventh-round pick on their front.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ballasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballasts. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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