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ballast

[bal-uhst] / ˈbæl əst /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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“Some ship-owners are going to be hesitant for now to ballast towards the Arabian Gulf, and in the meantime we need to hear from insurers,” Crosby says.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 15, 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

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

Their models realized that government bonds are no longer providing ballast against equity crashes.

From MarketWatch Apr. 16, 2026

All they won was a sailcloth sackfilled with ballast stones.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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

“Our concern is that PCB ballasts might have been missed when this issue was addressed last year,” wrote Snohomish health inspector Amanda Zych, according to records obtained by The Times.

From Seattle Times Jan. 23, 2022

In addition, the great mixing of species transported across the world in the ballasts of ships opens up new, vulnerable ecosystems to these super-adaptors.

From The Guardian Aug. 21, 2015

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

But chiefly is its speed affected by the proper ballasting of the machine itself, upon which, depends the friction it encounters from the cord on which it travels.

From A Project for Flying In Earnest at Last! by Hardley, Robert




Vocabulary lists containing ballast


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