BALK (AT) Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

balk (at)

verb

Definition of balk (at)

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

Varela said a customer service representative refused to help fix an issue with his daughter’s ticket, which had incorrectly listed her last name as her middle name due to an error his wife accidentally made when booking the flight a few months ago.

— Thom Jensen, NBC news, 20 July 2026
Gavin refuses to use a byproduct solely because it would otherwise be discarded.

— Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

Netanyahu had rejected any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority (without publicly endorsing an alternative).

— David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Conversely, when a judge rejects a motion for an injunction, companies can move to complete a takeover deal quickly.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

During the initial June 11 to June 20 period, revenue per room rates fell in the Miami area on eight of ten nights compared to 2025 while occupancy declined on every one of the 10 nights, according to CoStar.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
MedStar Washington Hospital Center cites financial pressure and declining birth rates.

— Kendall Staton, Washington Post, 17 July 2026

Definition of decline

Verb

Remake includes footage of Adrian urging his father to consider Carr’s offer, and gently scolding him for having passed up certain opportunities to make money—money that would have made the family's life better—off his filmmaking acumen.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026
But in its filing, the Times’ legal team wrote that the person chosen for the role as deputy real estate editor was more qualified than the person who was passed up for the job, Bryant Roussau.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 July 2026

Definition of pass up

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.

Browse Nearby Words

balkanized

balk (at)

balked

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of balk (at)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

stalwart

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes