as in frustrated
to prevent from achieving a goal
a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality
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Recent Examples of balked
Early Claude Code customers balked at the price compared with $20-per-month AI subscriptions, wondering whether Claude was really different from other products.
—
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 June 2026
At least one analysis found the drugs to be cost effective, but employers have balked at paying for them because so many people could be eligible for the treatments and many patients stop them after achieving a weight loss goal.
—Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 8 June 2026
There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who've balked at ticket prices.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
Why Glimcher allegedly balked at parting ways with his prized Pollock is anyone’s guess, but last week, Pace Gallery cut fifty people from its 250-person staff and dropped fifty artists from its overall roster of 135.
—News Desk, Artforum, 8 June 2026
For years, Alabama had balked at obeying a series of orders, including from the Supreme Court itself, to insure that its Black voters have a voice in how they are governed.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
But lawmakers this week balked at exempting property taxes that go to schools.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
His defenses of them, by contrast, have often relied on conspiracy theories, and some Republican officials have balked at his efforts to excuse or reward them.
—New York Times, 2 June 2026
The Pentagon balked at those stipulations, leading it and Trump to cut ties with the company.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 2 June 2026
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 June 2026
At least one analysis found the drugs to be cost effective, but employers have balked at paying for them because so many people could be eligible for the treatments and many patients stop them after achieving a weight loss goal.
—Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 8 June 2026
There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who've balked at ticket prices.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
Why Glimcher allegedly balked at parting ways with his prized Pollock is anyone’s guess, but last week, Pace Gallery cut fifty people from its 250-person staff and dropped fifty artists from its overall roster of 135.
—News Desk, Artforum, 8 June 2026
For years, Alabama had balked at obeying a series of orders, including from the Supreme Court itself, to insure that its Black voters have a voice in how they are governed.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
But lawmakers this week balked at exempting property taxes that go to schools.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
His defenses of them, by contrast, have often relied on conspiracy theories, and some Republican officials have balked at his efforts to excuse or reward them.
—New York Times, 2 June 2026
The Pentagon balked at those stipulations, leading it and Trump to cut ties with the company.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked
Verb
-
Councilmember Nithya Raman on Wednesday cast the November mayoral runoff as a choice between change and the status quo, arguing that Los Angeles voters are frustrated with City Hall and ready for new leadership.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
11 June 2026
-
Over the course of the season, Chantal grows frustrated with her needy fiancé and begins falling for Jordie, who has harbored feelings for Delilah for years, but seemingly moves on and reciprocates Chantal’s affections.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
This new dating trend is leaving people baffled and heartbroken.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
But he was baffled as to why people are now incensed over pickleball courts.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
In roughly half of the cases, dead foundation species hampered the ability of their living counterparts to reestablish, grow and survive after extreme events.—
John Kominoski,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
-
Trump has often alleged rampant voter fraud that has hampered Republicans’ success, and his base has largely accepted these sentiments to be true, despite no evidence backing up his accusations.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump made the announcement as bipartisan backlash to Pulte’s appointment as interim director thwarted the extension of an important spy program earlier Thursday when Democrats who were initially expected to vote in favor of the extension revoked their support.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Local authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday that security forces killed eight attackers and thwarted an attempt to seize the checkpoint.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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