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
-
Almost every Democrat who responded blamed Republicans for refusing to reopen most of DHS while continuing to negotiate on immigration enforcement funding.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026 -
Trump has refused the latest proposal, and talks have stalled.—
Rebecca Santana,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lloyd told the student he had been jumped three weeks earlier and believed someone from the fraternity he had been rejected from sent someone to attack him.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Residents also raised $1,200 via a GoFundMe fundraising page to pressure county commissioners to reject the project.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Throughout the years-long investigation, Cherfilus-McCormick declined interview requests from the committee and provided little to no defense against the committee’s allegations.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Some declined to provide their full names, citing safety concerns.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The bet here is those players, including Miami’s Akheem Mesidor, are too good to pass up.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The most fearless of daredevils shouldn’t pass up a trip to Mindanao to paraglide above the jungle or raft the whitewater of Cagayan de Oro all year round.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
