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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ballast
Stronger ballast water regulations developed through the agency’s research have helped prevent new invasions in the Great Lakes.
—
Christine Keiner, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2025
Without sufficient ballast, its word balloons threaten to float charmingly away.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
Officials suspect the ants were among the dirt used for ballast, which was discarded in port by ships from South America.
—Alan Clemons, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
Rick Ware Racing teams were penalized for a safety violation with ballast found outside the ballast container(s).
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Christine Keiner, The Conversation, 28 Feb. 2025
Without sufficient ballast, its word balloons threaten to float charmingly away.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2025
Officials suspect the ants were among the dirt used for ballast, which was discarded in port by ships from South America.
—Alan Clemons, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
Rick Ware Racing teams were penalized for a safety violation with ballast found outside the ballast container(s).
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
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Officers made the discovery on April 13 at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility, which connects U.S. 281 to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The company hopes to partner with other missions to rapidly deliver cargo to Mars, supplies to lunar orbit, mining equipment to near-Earth asteroids, probes to outer planets and telescopes to deep space.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Right now, many companies are telling their manufacturing facilities to delay shipment and not have freight loaded onto a vessel.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
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Starting out wasn’t easy - freight was inconsistent, and traditional banks refused to take a chance on their small operation.—
Oweesta,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Moreover, working the long head emphasizes the eccentric portion of a move—the part when the muscle is lengthening under load—which is a more effective way to improve strength, power, and speed performance compared to traditional resistance training, according to research.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The large internal heat diffuser spreads warm air evenly, drying your clothes fast, even bulkier loads.—
Christopher Murray,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Users of the app reported an unending loading screen while the website featured a 502 error message.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
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Regarding color, the Switch 2's screen is an upgrade from the original Switch's LCD; the red in the loading screen appeared well-saturated in our time with the handheld.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Apollo is the first commercial humanoid robot designed for friendly interaction, mass manufacturability, high payloads and safety, Apptronik touts.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
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Across 30 total spaceflights, an uncrewed New Shepard spacecraft has multiple times flown with scientific payloads on behalf of paying customers, including NASA.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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And, if some of our fellow-citizens basically bring actors to power who are clearly no longer on board with freedom and equality for all, then the burden is on them to restore our trust.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2025
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As a result, companies are broadly shifting more of the risk burden onto homeowners.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Losing that 200 pounds of deadweight freed me up to focus on advancing my career.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2025
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Losing that 200 pounds of deadweight has freed me up to focus on advancing my career.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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