ALL meanings of ballast
bal·last
B b - uncountable noun ballast Ballast is any substance that is used in ships or hot-air balloons to make them heavier and more stable. Ballast usually consists of water, sand, or iron. 3
- noun ballast any dense heavy material, such as lead or iron pigs, used to stabilize a vessel, esp one that is not carrying cargo 3
- noun ballast crushed rock, broken stone, etc, used for the foundation of a road or railway track 3
- noun ballast coarse aggregate of sandy gravel, used in making concrete 3
- noun ballast anything that provides stability or weight 3
- noun ballast a device for maintaining the current in a circuit 3
- verb ballast to give stability or weight to 3
- noun ballast anything heavy carried in a ship, aircraft, or vehicle to give stability or in a balloon or airship to help control altitude 3
- noun ballast anything giving stability and firmness to character, human relations, etc. 3
- noun ballast crushed rock or gravel, as that placed between and below railroad ties 3
- verb transitive ballast to furnish with ballast; stabilize 3
- verb transitive ballast to fill in (a railroad bed) with ballast 3
- noun ballast weight used to stabilize ship 1
- transitive verb ballast ship: stabilize 1
- noun ballast foundation for road, railway, etc. 1
- noun ballast sth providing weight 1
- noun ballast sth that maintains circuit current 1
- noun ballast Nautical. any heavy material carried temporarily or permanently in a vessel to provide desired draft and stability. 1
- noun ballast 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. 1
- noun ballast anything that gives mental, moral, or political stability or steadiness: the ballast of a steady income. 1
- noun ballast gravel, broken stone, slag, etc., placed between and under the ties of a railroad to give stability, provide drainage, and distribute loads. 1
- noun ballast Electricity. 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. 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. 1
- verb with object ballast to furnish with ballast: to ballast a ship. 1
- verb with object ballast to give steadiness to; keep steady: parental responsibilities that ballast a person. 1
- idioms ballast in ballast, Nautical. carrying only ballast; carrying no cargo. 1
- noun ballast Heavy material, such as gravel, sand, iron, or lead, placed low in a vessel to improve its stability. 1
- noun ballast (nautical) Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability. 0
- noun ballast (figuratively) Anything that steadies emotion or the mind. 0
- noun ballast Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete. 0
- noun ballast (construction) 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. 0
- noun ballast (Countable Noun) (electronics) device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g.in a tube lamp supply circuit). 0
- noun ballast (figuratively) That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security. 0
- verb ballast To stabilize or load a ship with ballast. 0
- verb ballast To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track. 0