balk

verb

ˈbȯk 

sometimes ˈbȯlk

balked; balking; balks

intransitive verb

1

: to refuse abruptly

—used with at

… Congress balked at putting up the money …

—Thomas Fleming

2

: to stop short and refuse to proceed

The horse balked at the jump and threw the rider.

3

sports : to commit a balk (see balk entry 2 sense 1)

transitive verb

1

: to check or stop by or as if by an obstacle : block

… had neither been balked nor been frightened …

—Francis Hackett

2

archaic : to pass over or by

… such an age as ours balks no expense …

—William Cowper

balker noun

Synonyms of balk

• frustrate
• thwart
• baffle
• stop
• hamper

Choose the Right Synonym for balk

frustrate, thwart, foil, baffle, balk mean to check or defeat another's plan or block achievement of a goal.

frustrate implies making vain or ineffectual all efforts however vigorous or persistent.

frustrated attempts at government reform

thwart suggests frustration or checking by crossing or opposing.

the army thwarted his attempt at a coup

foil implies checking or defeating so as to discourage further effort.

foiled by her parents, he stopped trying to see her

baffle implies frustration by confusing or puzzling.

baffled by the maze of rules and regulations

balk suggests the interposing of obstacles or hindrances.

officials felt that legal restrictions had balked their efforts to control crime

Examples of balk in a Sentence

The horse balked and would not jump the fence.

The runner on third base tried to make the pitcher balk.

Recent Examples on the Web

And of course there will always be readers who balk at SF, refusing to countenance that our lived reality is saturated with it, and that the time for earnestly realistic state-of-the-nation novels may have passed. —Literary Hub, 11 June 2026

Higher education is under siege, with many students and parents balking at high costs. —Washington Post, 10 June 2026

Early Claude Code customers balked at the price compared with $20-per-month AI subscriptions, wondering whether Claude was really different from other products. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 June 2026

But Democrats are now balking at a long-term extension over their objections to Pulte. —John Parkinson, ABC News, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English balkyn "to leave an unplowed ridge between furrows, omit, neglect," verbal derivative of balk, balke "strip of unplowed land between fields" — more at balk entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for balk

• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock
• croc

Kids Definition

balk

1 of 2 noun

ˈbȯk 

1

: something that prevents movement or action

2

: an illegal motion of a baseball pitcher while in position to pitch with a runner on base

balk

2 of 2 verb

1

: to check or stop by or as if by something in the way : block

2

: to stop and refuse to go

the horse balked

3

: to make a balk in baseball

balker noun