Thesaurus results for BALLAST

ballast

noun

Definition of ballast

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of ballast That way, when stocks drop, investors can rely on other asset classes to serve as a ballast. — Greg Iacurci,annie Nova, CNBC, 25 July 2026 That's the scenario in which traditional ballast stops ballasting. — Carrie McCabe, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Some shouted out cult classics like Possession (1981), in which Neill provided the ballast that allowed his co-star Isabelle Adjani the chance to dive headfirst into the deep end, or the Hitchcock thriller on a boat Dead Calm (1989). — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026 The balloon was so weighed down that the men had to throw their sandbag ballast overboard just to gain the air. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ballast

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast

Noun

In the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait — where clashes have intensified in recent weeks — data shows at least 45 vessels crossed, including eight tankers and eight cargo ships going to the Gulf of Aden.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
With a steam engine, the boat pulled heavy cargo between Budapest and other towns along the Danube.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of cargo

Noun

Follow it up with a walk along the High Line, an elevated outdoor park built on a historic freight rail line and covered with plants, trees, and art.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Sure, the issues of freight interference are different in Europe, but much of the Wolverine line now is owned by the state of Michigan, and operated and maintained by Amtrak itself.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of freight

Noun

Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy aren't part of this longer-term picture; SpaceX wants to phase them out and have Starship shoulder the load.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Most tap water in the UAE comes from desalination, which strips out salt but leaves minerals behind, producing a mineral load that builds up on hair, skin and surfaces.

— Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of load

Noun

Dunnigan describes the loading dock as something that deserves as much early consideration as the guest arrival.

— Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
While most washers have filters in the front panel, the location of yours depends on the type of machine (front-loading or top-loading) and the model.

— Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of loading

Noun

Testing heat without sunlight Zeno’s payload centers on a five-watt radioisotope heater unit containing americium-241.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Because the Ariane 6 rocket is expendable, Europe must increase production of all of the vehicle’s elements, from its solid-rocket motors to first-stage engines, in addition to upper stages and payload fairings.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of payload

Noun

QuantCube’s indicator measures the volume of deadweight tonnage leaving Iraqi and UAE ports, which provides an estimate of the cargo weight the ships are carrying.

— Joseph Wilkins, CNBC, 9 June 2026
As if moving his muscular deadweight weren’t a task itself for the two girls, there’s a point where Jinx falls onto Margo and pins her underwater in the tub.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 13 May 2026

Definition of deadweight

Browse Nearby Words

ballads

ballast

ballasts

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ballast

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on ballast

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

rigmarole

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes