[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/ballast.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / ballast

[← B](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/B/)

# ballast

«ballast» in Mova's school dictionary: **Heavy material, such as stones, sand or water, put low in…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (ballast, uncountable); verb (ballast, ballasts, ballasted, ballasting — rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Heavy material, such as stones, sand or water, put low in a ship or balloon to keep it steady. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#m1)

2) The stones laid under railway tracks to hold them in place. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#m2)

3) Something that gives steadiness or balance to a person or plan. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons about floating and balance, ballast shows how weight low down keeps a boat upright and how submarines take in water to sink. Hot-air balloons drop sandbags of ballast to rise. Railway workers lay ballast under tracks. Phrases: "ballast tanks", "drop ballast", "take on ballast".

### examples

- The ship carried rocks as ballast to stop it rolling over. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#x1)
- The submarine filled its ballast tanks with water to dive. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#x2)
- The balloonist threw out a bag of sand ballast and the balloon rose. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#x3)
- Grey ballast stones lie under the railway sleepers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#x4)
- We added coins to the bottom of our model boat as ballast. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#x5)
- Weight low down acts as ballast and keeps the boat steady. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/#x6)

### note

Usually uncountable: "some ballast". Throwing out ballast makes a balloon lighter so it rises; taking on ballast makes a ship or submarine heavier so it sits lower. Do not confuse with "ballet" or "balance".

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «ballast» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/ballast/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.