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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In hearings at the Constitutional Court, which is deliberating whether to formally remove Mr. Yoon from office, both Lieutenant General Lee and Lieutenant General Yeo refused to discuss details of their roles for fear that their testimony would be used against them during their own criminal trials.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2025 -
In response, the woman not only refused to bake a cake this year but also skipped the party altogether.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Focusing on personal strengths, practicing self-compassion and challenging negative self-perceptions can help alleviate beliefs that you are bound to be rejected or hurt by others.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
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While some states complied and the NCAA revised its own trans athlete policy, states like Minnesota have rejected changes to their policies.—
Scott Thompson,
Fox News,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Columbia officials declined to comment on the pending litigation.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
14 Mar. 2025
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An Interior Department spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Hobbs has an untold vendetta against the fat cats who run the company, and Quinn, the firm’s only female manager, is consistently getting passed up for promotions that go to inferior men.—
Eddie Mouradian,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2025
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The combination of organic cotton and easy cleaning is hard to pass up!—
Briana Feigon,
Architectural Digest,
24 Feb. 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 Mar. 2025.
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