The meaning of Ballast

noun

Heavy material, such as gravel, sand, or iron, placed in the bilge of a ship to ensure its stability.

Usage examples:

The hull had insufficient ballast

noun

Gravel or coarse stone used to form the bed of a railway track or the substratum of a road.

Usage examples:

A thick layer of railway ballast

noun

A passive component used in an electric circuit to moderate changes in current.

Usage examples:

Ballasts are permanently wired into existing fixtures

verb

Give stability to (a ship) by putting a heavy substance in its bilge.

Usage examples:

The vessel has been ballasted to give the necessary floating stability

verb

Form (the bed of a railway line or the substratum of a road) with gravel or coarse stone.

Usage examples:

The track was laid with rails and ballasted with earth

noun

Heavy matter such as sand, stone, or water that is used at the bottom of a ship or a hot-air balloon to make it heavier, or the small stones on which railways and roads are made

Usage examples:

The weed may have been accidentally imported in soil used as ship ballast., a ship sailing with an …