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
Beijing has balked at any restrictions on its smaller but growing nuclear arsenal.
—
Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Lamont has repeatedly balked at such suggestions, pointing to estimated $1 billion in annual costs.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Republicans in the Assembly balked at the bill.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the program, Stewart balked at being name-dropped in the emails themselves.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Honnold first considered giving Taipei a go in 2012, but lawyers had balked.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The City Council on Wednesday delayed a final vote on a measure that would have expanded the Chicago Police Department's authority to impose teen curfews, when aldermen balked at immediately voting on last-minute changes the ordinance's chief sponsor was seeking.
—Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Some initially balked, including Bryce Harper, who in February 2019 turned down a four-year, $180 million free-agent proposal.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Lamont has repeatedly balked at such suggestions, pointing to estimated $1 billion in annual costs.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Republicans in the Assembly balked at the bill.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 3 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the program, Stewart balked at being name-dropped in the emails themselves.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2026
And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Honnold first considered giving Taipei a go in 2012, but lawyers had balked.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
The City Council on Wednesday delayed a final vote on a measure that would have expanded the Chicago Police Department's authority to impose teen curfews, when aldermen balked at immediately voting on last-minute changes the ordinance's chief sponsor was seeking.
—Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Some initially balked, including Bryce Harper, who in February 2019 turned down a four-year, $180 million free-agent proposal.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked
Verb
-
Cam Newton, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, was frustrated the entire game and at one point appeared to have little interest in chasing a fumble in his own territory.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
She had not been informed by anyone at the district or her union that payments would resume soon and is still frustrated by the district’s treatment of lower-level employees.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Many are calling Belichick’s apparent lack of inclusion a sham or a snub, and even the most reasonable of NFL fans — like Patrick Mahomes — are baffled.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the wake of the Palisades Fire, Pratt and Montag sued the city of Los Angeles over allegations that water issues hampered firefighting efforts.—
Vivian Kwarm,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The levees that solved its flooding concerns also hampered its growth.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Twice thwarted, Beth sighs, says yes, and gets on with the business of living.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This all-consuming love, thwarted in the book by circumstances, has flourished beyond its pages.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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