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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk (at)
Verb
-
The nurses refused to increase her morphine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026 -
The fund sparked widespread condemnation and a standoff between the White House and Congress, with Senate Republicans refusing to pass an immigration enforcement spending bill unless the fund was limited or scrapped.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The court also rejected the New Orleans City Council’s attempt to hold a special election, which would have given Duncan the option to run again.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
On Tuesday, however, the federation learned that the CAS panel had largely rejected its arguments but has annulled the first sanction’s partial-stadium closure.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
His Democratic Party then went further by pushing a special counsel that could cancel the charges against him outright -- a move Lee declined to endorse or oppose publicly.—
Joohee Cho,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
-
Writers and reporters at the conference are learning how to improve their coverage of topics, including changes to education at the federal and state levels, the use of artificial intelligence in schools, and declining enrollment.—
Kellye Lynn,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Few shoes can measure up to their breathability and cushy comfort, plus the chance to personalize them with Crocs’ Jibbitz charms is hard to pass up.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
-
But given the longer timeframe with the Uribe seat, Jarred Cornell, interim chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, doubted the Republican governor would pass up the chance to pick someone like-minded to fill it.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
