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
Jackson Perdue delivered a 1-out double to left in the ninth and was balked to third.
—
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
But miners balked at the taxes statehood would bring -- and opposed it.
—Anna Alejo, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Many in the online pundit class balked at his article, casting it as anecdotal and credulous.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The budget committee balked at many of the changes the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, or HCPF, suggested.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
The White House asked for a cut to NASA’s science budget of a similar magnitude for fiscal year 2026, but Congress balked.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Despite high hopes for their current Fighting Illini, Vellore and his friends still hold the 2005 team as the pinnacle, and initially balked at the suggestion that the 2026 team could be better.
—Aidan Sadovi, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The jingle was a triumph of earworming, and nobody balked at putting baseball at the head of the conga line of signifiers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
For years, many crypto holders have balked at selling — even for major purchases like a home — because doing so would mean giving up potential upside while also incurring capital gains taxes.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
But miners balked at the taxes statehood would bring -- and opposed it.
—Anna Alejo, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Many in the online pundit class balked at his article, casting it as anecdotal and credulous.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The budget committee balked at many of the changes the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, or HCPF, suggested.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
The White House asked for a cut to NASA’s science budget of a similar magnitude for fiscal year 2026, but Congress balked.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 3 Apr. 2026
Despite high hopes for their current Fighting Illini, Vellore and his friends still hold the 2005 team as the pinnacle, and initially balked at the suggestion that the 2026 team could be better.
—Aidan Sadovi, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
The jingle was a triumph of earworming, and nobody balked at putting baseball at the head of the conga line of signifiers.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
For years, many crypto holders have balked at selling — even for major purchases like a home — because doing so would mean giving up potential upside while also incurring capital gains taxes.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked
Verb
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Victoria is frustrated by the lack of an arrest in her case.—
Rich Schapiro,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Local leaders, who are also frustrated by the change in policy, are fighting back, pressuring the state to reconsider.—
Cheryl Fiandaca,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Late Show host appeared genuinely baffled by the president’s current poll numbers during his opening monologue on Tuesday, mostly due to the 22 percent of Americans who are still throwing their support behind the 79-year-old former reality star.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
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No one, not even Jason — who is baffled at the galley’s sudden collapse — is more surprised at Ellie’s outburst than Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Vertical living green walls comprised of live plants are a natural energy-saving method for improving indoor air quality and enhancing interior design, but they're hampered by inconsistent performance.—
Shirl Leigh
April 03,
New Atlas,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Even if companies wanted to spend irresponsible amounts of money on AI compute, they’ve been hampered by supply chain constraints.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both problems also thwarted Artemis I, whose capsule returned with excessive heat shield damage.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The livestream had originally been scheduled for April 1, but clouds thwarted the view.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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