BALK (AT) Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

balk (at)

verb

Definition of balk (at)

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

Vehicle stops can be inherently fraught and unpredictable, with the person behind the wheel in control of thousands of pounds of steel that can pose great risk should a driver refuse to comply or simply panic and flee.

— Caroll Alvarado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
There was more talk of hitting a provisional, but Spieth refused.

— Brody Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

What’s troubling to me, besides the obvious, is the insistence on finding a way to continue to eat animals if your body starts to reject them.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Energy and shipping companies have loudly rejected a similar idea from Iran, under which ships would pay a toll in order to pass through the critical waterway.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 13 July 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

Bogdanos declined the cash, which is instead being donated to nonprofits of his choosing.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026
Even as remote work has declined from its pandemic highs, the data shows nearly 22% of workers still worked at least partly from home in 2025, only 1 percentage point less than the number who partly worked from home during the year prior.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 9 July 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

That play effectively started once defender Tim Ream tracked down a goal kick near the half-line, then passed up to Tyler Adams for a nonchalant back-heel pass to Tillman.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
And for the fashionistas, don’t pass up this $15 maxi dress or 81% off this name-brand swimsuit.

— Anja Webb, Parents, 1 July 2026

Definition of pass up

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.

Browse Nearby Words

balkanized

balk (at)

balked

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of balk (at)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

obdurate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes