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
Universities have long balked at the idea that their athletes are employees in some way.
—
Andrew Destin, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition, the Heat have moved to the very offensive style that Morant balked at last season with the Grizzlies.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
The protester balked at Ingraham's question and shut her down with a simple reply.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
While Republicans have cited Greenland’s strategic value, most have balked at the idea of using the military to take the country, instead favoring a potential deal to purchase the country.
—Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
But lawmakers and Kemp have balked at curtailing those measures in recent years.
—CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The project sat in relative limbo until 2024 as prospective producers balked at the dark subject matter and nonlinear storytelling, deeming the movie unmarketable.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
But Democrats balked at some of those asks.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2026
When Mamdani made a rent freeze a central part of his platform, the real-estate industry balked — unsurprisingly.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 6 Jan. 2026
Andrew Destin, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition, the Heat have moved to the very offensive style that Morant balked at last season with the Grizzlies.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
The protester balked at Ingraham's question and shut her down with a simple reply.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
While Republicans have cited Greenland’s strategic value, most have balked at the idea of using the military to take the country, instead favoring a potential deal to purchase the country.
—Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
But lawmakers and Kemp have balked at curtailing those measures in recent years.
—CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The project sat in relative limbo until 2024 as prospective producers balked at the dark subject matter and nonlinear storytelling, deeming the movie unmarketable.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
But Democrats balked at some of those asks.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2026
When Mamdani made a rent freeze a central part of his platform, the real-estate industry balked — unsurprisingly.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked
Verb
-
Fans were frustrated, and a growing number were opting to stay home rather than attend key late November/December games at M&T Bank Stadium, with an AFC North title still within the Ravens’ reach.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One thing that baffled me a little were the flashbacks.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The team behind the shock discovery (in more ways than one) is baffled by this beautiful arc of material, which defies expectations and current theories surrounding such stellar remains.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sam Leavitt, who starred at Arizona State the past two seasons and led the Sun Devils to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024 before injuries hampered him this year, has committed to the LSU Tigers, according to multiple reports Monday.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Injuries have hampered the offensive line, and quarterback Jalen Hurts has at times appeared tentative rather than the aggressive passer and scrambler that helped lead the Eagles to victory in the Super Bowl.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
MacDonough recently thwarted an attempt to include a Boundary Waters provision in a budget reconciliation package.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Initial attempts to conduct a drone search were thwarted by the windstorm, and the ground operation was called off before nightfall, the agency said.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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