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
However, Claude balked when the attacker added rules to the request, including deleting logs and command history.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Beijing has balked at any restrictions on its smaller but growing nuclear arsenal and denies carrying out such a nuclear test.
—Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The Defense Department has balked at Anthropic’s insistence on these two issues and applied increasing pressure to the company.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
The chambers have had tension since the Senate balked at a sales tax cut last year amid concerns about a coming recession as fewer people are projected to move to Florida in the future.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Being a tomboy accustomed to climbing trees and underwater harpooning with Papa, del Valle initially balked, but then gave it a whirl.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
While the city will offer $1 million dollars in rent assistance, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey balked at a council proposal to allocate $5 million in city funds for small business relief.
—Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Tennis attempted to capitalise on the power of those intimate moments with its equivalent to Drive to Survive, Break Point, but it was cancelled after two seasons — largely because top stars balked at the levels of access required of them.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Sheridan balked and at Ronald's direction, Kenneth shot him in the chest, according to court records.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
Beijing has balked at any restrictions on its smaller but growing nuclear arsenal and denies carrying out such a nuclear test.
—Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The Defense Department has balked at Anthropic’s insistence on these two issues and applied increasing pressure to the company.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
The chambers have had tension since the Senate balked at a sales tax cut last year amid concerns about a coming recession as fewer people are projected to move to Florida in the future.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2026
Being a tomboy accustomed to climbing trees and underwater harpooning with Papa, del Valle initially balked, but then gave it a whirl.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
While the city will offer $1 million dollars in rent assistance, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey balked at a council proposal to allocate $5 million in city funds for small business relief.
—Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
Tennis attempted to capitalise on the power of those intimate moments with its equivalent to Drive to Survive, Break Point, but it was cancelled after two seasons — largely because top stars balked at the levels of access required of them.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Sheridan balked and at Ronald's direction, Kenneth shot him in the chest, according to court records.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked
Verb
-
Many new parents, frustrated by postpartum hair loss, opt for a haircut to help disguise any patchiness; others cut their hair for more ease when juggling a newborn.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
27 Feb. 2026
-
He must be frustrated, because at this time of year, the aspects out of his control might talk louder.—
Sam McDowell
Updated February 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Despite reading Whitney’s letter at least twice, Henry — a narcissist — seems baffled that Whitney is not more contrite.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
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Yet Howe, his coaches and recruitment staff were baffled by such early criticism.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the aftermath of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires, which racked up billions in damage, numerous fire survivors have detailed a recovery process hampered by insurance.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Efforts to harness kesterite’s full potential have also so far been hampered by defects formed during the manufacturing process.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pakistan’s information minister on Friday also said that militants from the Pakistani Taliban attempted to launch drones attacks in the northwest from within the country, which Pakistan’s anti-drone systems thwarted.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Russia may have been thwarted in its immediate bid to sweep aside the Ukrainian president and swallow its neighbor whole.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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