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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To add to the sense of chaos, a ballboy refused to give the ball to Middlesbrough’s Matt Targett — who began his career at Southampton — which led to another flare-up.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
13 May 2026 -
When Warren’s editor sent galleys of the book to William Faulkner, seeking a blurb, Faulkner refused.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
Verb
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But Breakfield rejected that argument during sentencing.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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Lower courts likely won't approve a measure that aims to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling and would probably reject any law that ties the provision of general government services to the behaviors of the recipients, Smith said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Bass defended her administration’s handling of homelessness, pointing to declining homelessness counts and the city’s Inside Safe program, while criticizing Raman’s record on police hiring and past votes against some encampment enforcement measures near schools and other sensitive sites.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
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Spatola and his legal team declined to comment immediately after the verdict.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Simpson was back in Los Angeles for the first time since April 24, the day after the seemingly Super Bowl-ready Rams surprised many by passing up the opportunity to select a receiver to choose an Alabama quarterback with only 15 starts.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
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Amelia Bingham sent a perfect diagonal pass up the field to Piper Bingham, who ran onto the ball and scored the game’s first goal.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 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 13 May. 2026.
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