as in to refuse
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
she balked at lending him any more money
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk (at)
Verb
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My comment addressed agitators approaching law enforcement with a gun and refusing to disarm.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026 -
Judge Marrus, however, refused to back down.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Supervisors Shanti Landon, Anthony DeMattei and Suzanne Jones made up the three votes rejecting the loan.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Kaiser flatly rejects the notion that the strike is about anything other than reimbursement.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Coleman declined to pursue the case, a police report said.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Across the other devices, both Mac and Wearables, Home & Accessories sales declined year over year, while the market anticipated slight growth.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The chance to reunite with Silverfield and his staff, including former Memphis offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey, at Arkansas was too much to pass up.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Jan. 2026
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Still, the woman felt the opportunity was too valuable to pass up.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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