ballasts

noun

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

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 ballasts Federal officials recently launched a prize competition to reward ideas for controlling the flow of aquatic species into and out of the ballasts of boats that travel among the various lakes and waterways across the United States. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 7 May 2026 Other items from the ship, including the ballasts that served as counterweights for the human cargo, are remaining on display and will be returned to South Africa in two years. — ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballasts
  1. cargoes
  2. loads
  3. loadings
  4. payloads
  5. weights
  6. burdens
  7. drafts
Noun
  • The war in the Middle East has made cargoes more scarce and, in turn, more expensive, raising the prospects of another energy crunch.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And that’s only counting crude oil, not liquefied natural gas, petrochemicals, or other cargoes that rely on the strait.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of cargoes
Noun
  • The finding challenges earlier computer models that predict how nuclear fusion reactor materials handle extreme thermal loads.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For everyday loads of shirts, pants and towels, that’s more than enough.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of loads
Noun
  • In a report Monday, Windward said Kharg’s western terminal had seen no loadings for 22 consecutive days, the liquid petroleum gas terminal for 13 days and the eastern terminal for 10 days.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • As Fed chair, Greenspan relished poring over obscure economic data, from monthly boxcar loadings to steel production, all in a bid to assess where the economy was going.
    — Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 22 June 2026
Definition of loadings
Noun
  • Today, according to publicly available data, launch costs in Europe are now three times higher than for comparable payloads in the United States.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • It will be used to integrate Department of Defense payloads for not just Blue Origin, but other launch providers with national security missions.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of payloads
Noun
  • Meta made the model's weights publicly available through Hugging Face.
    — Paulina Likos,Jeff Marks, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Its chips never load the weights at all, because the weights are etched permanently into the transistors.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of weights
Noun
  • Elections were still routinely held, largely free from undue burdens or autocratic manipulation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
  • These burdens can discourage families from returning and, in some cases, contribute to their decision not to visit at all.
    — Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of burdens
Noun
  • The connection between Indigenous languages in Peru and Catalan exile was not part of the earliest drafts, but became the idea that brought the film into focus.
    — Callum McLennan, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • That list includes Kansas City slugger Jac Caglianone, who was mocked to Colorado in some drafts, and has 21 home runs this season.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of drafts

Browse Nearby Words

ballast
ballasts
balled
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Cite this Entry

“Ballasts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballasts. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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