Synonyms of balked

balked

verb

past tense of balk

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• frustrated
• baffled
• hampered
• thwarted
• stopped
• defeated
• halted
• prevented
• foiled
• discomfited
• hindered
• impeded
• overcame
• blocked
• checkmated
• stalled
• beat
• obstructed
• arrested
• checked
• inhibited
• handicapped
• precluded
• hobbled
• barred
• encumbered
• shackled
• obviated
• averted
• tied up
• conquered
• interfered (with)
• held back
• clogged
• nullified
• set back
• forestalled
• neutralized
• negated
• counteracted
• fettered
• short-circuited
• offset
• manacled
• trammeled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• encouraged
• advanced
• promoted
• forwarded
• cultivated
• assisted
• fostered
• aided
• furthered
• nurtured
• facilitated
• eased
• smoothed
• abetted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of balked

When Weber and Logan balked, the Justice Department promptly sued them and the state in a case currently pending in federal court. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026

Plus, it's previously balked at the marketing costs that come with bringing films to the cinema, which can total hundreds of millions of dollars per film. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Some boards of directors may have balked at sending their CEOs into Saudi Arabia in the midst of the deadly battle with the Houthis. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026

After a home run by Cedric Mullins trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Cole Sulser yielded a leadoff single to slumping Angel Martínez in the ninth and balked him to second base. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026

Some investors balked at its lack of a track record, while others were unnerved by Volta’s reliance on Anthropic to buy much of the data center’s compute. — Ellen Dimauro, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026

The powers that be balked at the sequel’s 48 percent drop from the first installment’s $125 million worldwide gross, which outperformed any and all expectations back in 2017. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

After an anecdote having to do with cocaine use in another band around the time that guitarist Jimmy McColloch departed, Apatow asked if drugs were a big issue in Wings starting to fall apart in the late ’70s, but McCartney balked at that idea. — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026

That’s the same amount that tipped workers will make next year in Denver, where city leaders have so far balked at adjusting wages. — Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2026