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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ballast
Common reed – plant introduced in shipment packing material and solid ballast.
—
Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2024
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
Equities with consistent dividends are often thought of as a ballast during times of volatility, with the income cushioning any price drops.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 19 Feb. 2025
The boat, with 4,050 pounds of ballast, is designed for wakeboarding and wakesurfing.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 12 Sep. 2024
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
Equities with consistent dividends are often thought of as a ballast during times of volatility, with the income cushioning any price drops.
—Michelle Fox, CNBC, 19 Feb. 2025
The boat, with 4,050 pounds of ballast, is designed for wakeboarding and wakesurfing.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast
Noun
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Eight days later the ship limped into port at Aberdeen, Washington, with half the deck cargo of lumber having washed overboard.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 Mar. 2025
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Within six months of the grant cycles, recipient agencies reported over 6,900 arrests for retail, motor vehicle and cargo theft.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Join 28 others in the comments View Comments Profitability is not its main mission, Amtrak said, saying it was initially created to increase profits for freight railroads who were losing huge sums of money providing passenger service.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN,
19 Mar. 2025
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The Hyperloop capsules will be designed to carry individual 40-ft containers (equivalent to two TEUs) at speeds of around 370 mph (595 km/h) to and from the port, turning a trip of several hours or even days into 20-30 minutes, rivaling air freight speeds.—
Joe Salas,
New Atlas,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But that doesn't always mean the mental load is less.—
Sari Hitchins,
Parents,
17 Mar. 2025
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Flexing or deflecting under load at opportune times reduces the drag and allows a car to go a little faster in a straight line for the same amount of power, giving that car an unfair advantage.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The top loading tray holds up to 60-sheets of paper and 3 months of ink are included with your purchase.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
11 Mar. 2025
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Police alleged that minutes later, Yolanda could be seen on camera loading pets and luggage into an SUV before leaving the home, wearing different clothing.—
Laura Barcella,
People.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket has launched dozens of high-value payloads for NASA, and this launch was no different.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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The Promaster comes powered by a 3.6-L V6 gas engine, and the Wave SRT camper offers just under 1,630 lb (739 kg) of payload for carrying the crew and whatever gear and equipment is needed.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Mar. 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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The pressure to constantly evolve while maintaining a strong identity can feel like an emotional and professional burden.—
Stephanie Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2025
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Should the tariffs persist, though, consumers will bear much of the burden.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This misallocation of resources results in productive inefficiency and a deadweight loss — a reduction in overall economic welfare that benefits neither producers nor consumers.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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Ship capacity transiting through the Panama Canal was 10 percent lower between September 2024 and January 2025 than the 2019-22 average, measured in deadweight tonnage, according to the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO).—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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