balk (at)

verb

Definition of balk (at)next
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)
  1. refuse
  2. reject
  3. decline
  4. pass up
Verb
  • Bansal, who refused to comment when contacted, has outlined his vision for Lenskart in the company’s latest quarterly presentation.
    — Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Trump’s treatment of South Korea is not unique, having taken punitive measures against a slew of allies who refused to back his invasion of Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of refuse
Verb
  • Ogunyemi rejects the notion that encouragement is merely a soft leadership practice that can’t be connected to measurable business outcomes.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Lucas was convicted of fatally shooting a 16-year-old girl who rejected his romantic advances and wounding two of her friends.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of reject
Verb
  • Farage did not give a victory speech after declining to attend the declaration, claiming police had warned of a campaign to disrupt it.
    — Reagan Yip, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • And the university, which declined an interview request about the new program, is not the first to offer content creation courses.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of decline
Verb
  • Maybe Walter genuinely fielded an unexpected offer too big to pass up.
    — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Nelson, the Mavericks coach, and his son, the Mavericks GM, persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the franchise.
    — John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 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

“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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