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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Agencies refused to release Neal’s autopsy and the Florida Highway Patrol’s report of the crash, and the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office had declined to comment on whether further charges are pending.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025 -
While many rideshare companies refuse to pay affiliate commissions, Obi has built a parallel revenue stream via a data business selling anonymized, aggregated insights.—
Sindhya Valloppillil,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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After twice rejecting Trump, Nevadans ousted a Democratic governor in 2022 and helped Trump back to the White House in 2024.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Evers himself rejected Underly’s request to repeal a state law requiring teachers to pass the Foundations of Reading Test to obtain certain teaching licenses.—
Rory Linnane,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tennessee will move forward with the execution of death row inmate Byron Black at 10 a.m. Aug. 5 after both Gov. Bill Lee and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.—
Kelly Puente,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Aug. 2025
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This had been favored by the union, but Canada Post had declined due to the lengthiness that a third-party negotiation process would likely require, particularly as the courier fights through its financial struggles.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Dru Phillips tipped Wilson’s deep pass up in the air.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
2 Aug. 2025
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While sleeping in her childhood twin bed was not entirely inviting, the prospect of free weekend getaways was too good to pass up.—
David Litt,
Time,
28 July 2025
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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 19 Aug. 2025.
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