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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of balked
Then again, even deep-red Indiana balked at following Texas.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Foster was dead set on Shiksa, but Netflix executives balked.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Initially, city staff planners balked at the plan and recommended the project be denied because roughly 70% of the structure would be dedicated to the parking garage.
—Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
As stated, sports teams continue to appreciate, which could be a huge reason why Ross balked at the idea of $10 billion.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Even some Republican states have balked, at least initially, citing legal concerns about transferring some of the information.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Hamas has balked at those conditions.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
Understanding that their business model was under threat, pop music’s titans initially balked at streaming.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Republicans have balked at these demands, taking particular issue with the prospect of restoring Medicaid benefits to immigrants.
—Simon F. Haeder, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
Philip Elliott, Time, 28 Oct. 2025
Foster was dead set on Shiksa, but Netflix executives balked.
—Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Initially, city staff planners balked at the plan and recommended the project be denied because roughly 70% of the structure would be dedicated to the parking garage.
—Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 22 Oct. 2025
As stated, sports teams continue to appreciate, which could be a huge reason why Ross balked at the idea of $10 billion.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Even some Republican states have balked, at least initially, citing legal concerns about transferring some of the information.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Hamas has balked at those conditions.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
Understanding that their business model was under threat, pop music’s titans initially balked at streaming.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Republicans have balked at these demands, taking particular issue with the prospect of restoring Medicaid benefits to immigrants.
—Simon F. Haeder, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked
Verb
-
That can impact on squad unity, with individuals frustrated by their lack of chances.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Smith’s next point is what ticked off Barkley, who was visibly frustrated at the desk.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Played for comic relief, he is baffled by this son of his who attends college and, more perplexing yet, is suddenly obsessed with Italy and cycling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Physicists were baffled as to why this material would suddenly stop conducting current once the tellurium content reached approximately 30 percent—a change that its basic chemical composition could not explain.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Hubbard has been somewhat hampered by injury this season, missing two of his team's eight games.—
Max Dible,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Just assessing the damage could take weeks, and airport closures have hampered recovery efforts.—
Matt Nighswander,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Freddie's always stopped by the survivor girl; he's always thwarted by his young ingenue all the way through, who's losing her innocence and entering the world.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Then, hardware improvements gradually bring the execution time down, only to get thwarted again by the next benchmark.—
Dina Genkina,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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