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ballast
[bal-uhst]
noun
Nautical.Ģżany heavy material carried temporarily or permanently in a vessel to provide desired draft and stability.
Aeronautics.Ģżsomething 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.
anything that gives mental, moral, or political stability or steadiness.
the ballast of a steady income.
gravel, broken stone, slag, etc., placed between and under the ties of a railroad to give stability, provide drainage, and distribute loads.
Electricity.Ģż
Also called ballast resistor.Ģża 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.
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.
verb (used with object)
to furnish with ballast.
to ballast a ship.
to give steadiness to; keep steady.
parental responsibilities that ballast a person.
ballast
/ Ė²śĆ¦±ōɲõ³Ł /
noun
any dense heavy material, such as lead or iron pigs, used to stabilize a vessel, esp one that is not carrying cargo
crushed rock, broken stone, etc, used for the foundation of a road or railway track
coarse aggregate of sandy gravel, used in making concrete
anything that provides stability or weight
electronics a device for maintaining the current in a circuit
verb
to give stability or weight to
Other 51³Ō¹Ļ Forms
- ballaster noun
- ballastic adjective
- overballast verb (used with object)
- subballast noun
- underballast verb (used with object)
51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins
51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins
Origin of ballast1
Idioms and Phrases
in ballast, carrying only ballast; carrying no cargo.
Example Sentences
Yet incredibly, sealing the ends watertight and fitting them with ballast tanks, gives enough buoyancy to tow them behind tugboats.
Without dialogue, thereās little to convince the reader ā nothing that a Thoreau or a NƦss might say to add rigor and ballast to the Colonyās rather flimsy ethos.
Their strong values-based cultures, deep commitment to their communities, and longer-term investment horizons, act like ballasts on a ship ā working together to absorb shocks and navigate through treacherous waters.
The people who work in governmental institutions ā and therefore the institutions themselvesāare rather like the ballast that keeps a ship upright and balanced in different weathers.
The species has colonized new regions when transported on shipsā hulls or in ballast water that is drained in ports.
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Related 51³Ō¹Ļs
When To Use
In general, ballast means something that provides stability or weight.In a specific sense, itās most commonly used to refer to heavy material used to stabilize a vessel, such as a ship, especially when itās 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 shipās ballast was improperly secured and caused the ship to list in the water.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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