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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Bali Police spokesperson Ari Sandy refused to comment on the investigation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026 -
The Senate refused to act on those plans last year, one of the few defeats suffered by the MAGA right.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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A day earlier, Iran rejected a 15-point proposal offered by American negotiators.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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In response to the lawsuit, a government lawyer argued that forcing USCIS to lift the pause on Al Ghoula’s application and others like it could result in swift denials, warning that the applications would probably be rejected because security vetting is incomplete.—
Michal Ruprecht,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His parents declined to comment to reporters afterward.—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The new listings, published Wednesday by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, cite factors such as warming ocean waters, melting sea ice and declining availability of food to sustain such species.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lauren, a first-grade teacher, knew the moment was just too special to pass up.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2026
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This is the first time that a moon crew has colleagues in space at the same time, and NASA won’t pass up the opportunity for a cosmic chitchat.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
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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 12 Apr. 2026.
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