ballast

American  

[bal-uhst] / ˈbæl əst /

noun

ballasts plural

1. Nautical. any heavy material carried temporarily or permanently in a vessel to provide desired draft and stability.

2. Aeronautics. something heavy, as bags of sand, placed in the car of a balloon for control of altitude and, less often, of attitude, or placed in an aircraft to control the position of the center of gravity.

3. anything that gives mental, moral, or political stability or steadiness.

   the ballast of a steady income.

4. gravel, broken stone, slag, etc., placed between and under the ties of a railroad to give stability, provide drainage, and distribute loads.

5. Electricity.

   1. Also called ballast resistor.  a device, often a resistor, that maintains the current in a circuit at a constant value by varying its resistance in order to counteract changes in voltage.

   2. a device that maintains the current through a fluorescent or mercury lamp at the desired constant value, sometimes also providing the necessary starting voltage and current.

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verb (used with object)

ballasts, present (3rd person singular) ballasted, past participle, past ballasting present participle

1. to furnish with ballast.

   to ballast a ship.

2. to give steadiness to; keep steady.

   parental responsibilities that ballast a person.

idioms

1. in ballast, carrying only ballast; carrying no cargo.

ballast British  

/ ˈbæləst /

noun

1. any dense heavy material, such as lead or iron pigs, used to stabilize a vessel, esp one that is not carrying cargo

2. crushed rock, broken stone, etc, used for the foundation of a road or railway track

3. coarse aggregate of sandy gravel, used in making concrete

4. anything that provides stability or weight

5. electronics a device for maintaining the current in a circuit

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verb

1. to give stability or weight to

Usage

What does ballast mean? In general, ballast means something that provides stability or weight. In a specific sense, it’s most commonly used to refer to heavy material used to stabilize a vessel, such as a ship, especially when it’s not carrying cargo. It also refers to the crushed rock used for the foundation of railroad tracks and paved roads. In electronics, ballast refers to a device that maintains the current in a circuit. Ballast can also be used as a verb meaning to provide a ship with a material for ballast. In a more general sense, it can mean to keep steady or give stability to, including in a metaphorical way. Ballast can also be used metaphorically as a noun, especially in the context of mental, emotional, political, or economic stability. Example: The ship’s ballast was improperly secured and caused the ship to list in the water.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ballaster
  noun
• subballast
  noun
• overballast
  verb (used with object)
• underballast
  verb (used with object)
• ballastic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ballasts
  plural

Participles

• ballasting
  present
• ballasted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• ballast
  simple
• ballasts
  simple
• have ballasted
  perfect
• has ballasted
  perfect
• am ballasting
  progressive
• are ballasting
  progressive
• is ballasting
  progressive
• have been ballasting
  perfect progressive
• has been ballasting
  perfect progressive

Past

• ballasted
  simple
• had ballasted
  perfect
• was ballasting
  progressive
• were ballasting
  progressive
• had been ballasting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will ballast
  simple
• will have ballasted
  perfect
• will be ballasting
  progressive
• will have been ballasting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of ballast

1450–1500; < Middle Low German, perhaps ultimately < Scandinavian; compare Old Danish, Old Swedish barlast, equivalent to bar bare ¹ + last load; see last ⁴

Explanation

A ballast is any heavy material that helps to make a ship or plane stable, including metaphorical ships like your mood. If you hate school, the thought of a weekend coming might be a ballast for your mood. Ballast comes from old ship terminology for cargo. It came to mean the weight of the cargo that prevents the ship from rocking around on the open seas. Any craft, ship or plane, needs ballast. A weight on the bottom of a rocket might act as ballast to help it glide straight. If you’re driving in snow in a tiny tin can car, you’ll need to ballast, or add weight, to prevent the wheels from sliding around.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ballast ballasts ballasted ballasting

For many investors, a meaningful allocation to S&P 500 index funds, blue-chip companies, value stocks and cash can serve as ballast.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

The government has often referred to coal as the "ballast stone" for China's energy security: a reliable anchor in an often unreliable global energy market.

From BBC ● May 31, 2026

Some have worried about a repeat of 2022, when bond funds got crushed by rising rates, disappointing many who hoped their fixed-income holdings would act as a ballast to stock-market losses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Of this, $4.6 billion would be allocated to an education “Rainy Day Fund” as ballast against future economic downturns.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

Lee ran through the figures, double-checked them, and then released the last of his ballast.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Their strong values-based cultures, deep commitment to their communities, and longer-term investment horizons, act like ballasts on a ship — working together to absorb shocks and navigate through treacherous waters.

From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2024

Emotional Support Water Bottles can serve as psychological ballasts.

From Slate ● Jan. 18, 2024

PCBs were banned by the EPA in 1979 but still remain in some structures built before then, including in lighting ballasts at Sky Valley before they were replaced.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2022

“These light ballasts were decades beyond their useful life, energy inefficient, and obsolete,” Bayer said.

From Reuters ● Jul. 28, 2021

Pattie then snapped off the bright fluorescent ballasts.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

The savings would be delivered through lower design speeds, ballasted track, UK rather than European standard cross-sections and building on the existing rail network.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2024

Her sturdy presence ballasted unconventional work and gave substance to the eccentric roles she was drawn to, though like Gambon she could adapt to any theatrical circumstances.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

Intellectual curiosity, emotional complexity, lingering questions about spirituality and unadulterated whimsy ballasted the world of Charlie Brown and his gang.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2023

On the court, it is a reliable support structure that has ballasted the Wizards this season to an intense degree.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2022

Stuart carried stones from the beach down to the water’s edge and ballasted the canoe with the stones until it floated evenly and steadily.

From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White

“Loadings will continue until the ballasting tankers are all used up, as Middle East producers simply don’t have a lot of onshore storage where to put the crude.”

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026

Unbalanced because of inefficient ballasting and overcrowded too, the Joola was in no state to survive the heavy storm that hit it just off the coast of The Gambia and after capsizing, it soon sank.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2022

Owners are mostly decelerating on the so-called ballasting leg of journeys, when they’re sailing empty, said Martin Korsvold, a Pareto analyst.

From BusinessWeek ● Mar. 9, 2011

Legion officers scouted the idea, pointed out that wives, children, fathers, mothers and other relatives of Legionnaires will accompany them with ballasting effect.

From Time Magazine Archive

Why should I vapor and play the philosopher, instead of ballasting, the best I can, this dancing balloon?

From Representative Men by Emerson, Ralph Waldo

Related Words

• equilibrium