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.

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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 ballast Musk’s unusual lock-up structure presents investors with a case of extremes, giving the stock a ballast of stability for the first year, followed by the potential for a supernova event. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 July 2026 Investment-grade bonds are the ballast of pension funds, insurance portfolios and the target-date funds sitting inside ordinary retirement accounts. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 17 June 2026 More than 500 vessels are waiting to leave the Gulf, including more than 100 laden tankers and around 100 in ballast that could load new cargo. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 19 June 2026 And those ships exchanging ballast water from, say, southern Lake Michigan in Lake Superior could still move invasive species from one water body to another. — Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ballast

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballast

Noun

Toeing the line between a balloon, barrel, and cargo style, the Old Navy Utility Pants are a masterclass in merging trends.

— Irene Richardson, InStyle, 8 July 2026
The delays at the Chinese ports have exacerbated conditions worldwide that have been driven by strong cargo demand resulting in an earlier-than-normal peak shipping season.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 8 July 2026

Definition of cargo

Noun

After taking over a freight broker’s account, the criminals then post a fraudulent load listing offering an attractive shipment.

— Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Goldman Sachs initiated coverage of FDXF with a buy rating and a $186 price target on Wednesday, citing a stronger freight outlook and company-specific opportunities to grow.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 1 July 2026

Definition of freight

Noun

MetroLoft added roughly 18,000 square feet to 15 upper floors, and the additional load caused two columns to bend, Berman said.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
At a press conference at the site, Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said that the city was bringing in emergency beams and columns to help shore up some of the unstable building’s load.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 July 2026

Definition of load

Noun

Fuel rods for the Aalo-X Critical Test Reactor were manufactured by GE Vernova’s Global Nuclear Fuel business and delivered to the Idaho site in April before the reactor received approval for fuel loading and startup.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Its all-new VL45 Plus combines the advantages of top-loading and door fridges with a triple-access system that all but eliminates the need for a separate slide costing hundreds of dollars.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026

Definition of loading

Noun

Metadata provides the context needed to understand how workloads communicate, where traffic is moving and how AI systems behave over time without requiring organizations to analyze every prompt, transaction or data payload individually.

— Shane Buckley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
The first stage puts its payload inside an app bundle that impersonates real components built into macOS.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026

Definition of payload

Noun

The fundraiser says Dileo, a single father, is now facing the financial burden of bringing his son home to Florida, in addition to funeral, burial and other unexpected expenses.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Washington has been pressing allies to shoulder more of the spending burden.

— Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of burden

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

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“Ballast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballast. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ballast

noun

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