1. Any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship
   "The crew added ballast to the ship's hold to improve its stability in rough seas"
    
2. Coarse gravel laid to form a bed for streets and railroads
   "Workers spread ballast along the railway tracks to ensure stability"
    
3. An attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings
   "His strong family values served as ballast during turbulent times"
    
4. An electrical device for starting and regulating fluorescent and discharge lamps
   "The electrician replaced the faulty light ballast in the office ceiling";
   - light ballast
    
5. A resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations)
   "The engineer added a ballast resistor to stabilize the current flow";
   - ballast resistor, barretter

1. Make steady with a ballast
   "They ballasted the ship before the long voyage"

Derived forms: ballasting, ballasts, ballasted

Type of: attribute, brace, crushed rock, electrical device, gravel, material, resistance, resistor, stabilise [Brit], stabilize, steady, stuff

Encyclopedia: Ballast, Coevorden