i Register
In some senses, ballast is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.
ballast
/ˈbæl.əst/
noun 5verb 3
Collocations
5ADJ.
accidental, better, lay, needed, right
VERB + BALLAST
add, ship
BALLAST + NOUN
cargo, prosperity, water
PREP.
in, on
ADV.
such
Definitions
noun
1
Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
“Oh, for the-- how much did you waste on that little boondoggle?” “Well, it's not that so much as--” “Krieger.” “Well, I needed ballast, and what better to simulate bricks of cocaine than, you know, bricks of cocaine.”
2
Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
3
Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete; track ballast.
4
A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
5
A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
verb
1
To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.
2
To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.
The task of a Railway Construction Company, R.E., is to lay and ballast the track; [...].
Although the track is ballasted, it does not prevent clouds of reddish dust from the laterite soil blowing about when the train is in motion; after a journey with the windows open a bath is a necessity!
3
To weigh down with a ballast.
The noosance was […] that to make the umbrella effective he would have to carry abroad such weight to ballast it as would put the whole contraption out of action for carrying abroad at all.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — a resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes
- barretter
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
“Oh, for the-- how much did you waste on that little boondoggle?” “Well, it's not that so much as--” “Krieger.” “Well, I needed ballast, and what better to simulate bricks of cocaine than, you know, b
Wiktionary02
With 73 minutes gone Rafael Márquez came on to add ballast at the back, appearing in his fifth World Cup aged 39 and with alleged links to drug trafficking, which he denies, on hold for now. And so th
Wiktionary03
It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity.
Wiktionary04
The task of a Railway Construction Company, R.E., is to lay and ballast the track; [...].
Wiktionary05
Although the track is ballasted, it does not prevent clouds of reddish dust from the laterite soil blowing about when the train is in motion; after a journey with the windows open a bath is a necessit
Wiktionary06
The noosance was […] that to make the umbrella effective he would have to carry abroad such weight to ballast it as would put the whole contraption out of action for carrying abroad at all.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
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