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 world’s diplomats must refuse to seat or recognise Min Aung Hlaing or his representatives at any summit or ministerial meeting.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025 -
Some of the girls were hired as servants in the homes of higher-status Burghers, though Rustin refused on principle to consider it.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And the British nations, as ever, remained aloof, England rejecting a late offer to step in for Austria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Democrats are pushing to extend soon-to-expire health care tax credits and reverse earlier Medicaid cuts, but Republicans have rejected those proposals.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In a social media video, Madi said her father's health declined in the months following an early-stage prostate cancer diagnosis.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The Administration submitted an emergency filing to the Supreme Court after an appeals court declined to block the injunction.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Still, the woman felt the opportunity was too valuable to pass up.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 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 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share