balked (at)

verb

past tense of balk (at)
as in refused
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to she balked at lending him any more money

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked (at)
  1. refused
  2. rejected
  3. declined
Verb
  • In the criminal complaint, the officer alleges Bowman pulled his hands away and refused commands to put them behind his back.
    — Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation, which Macron refused.
    — Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Wilson, the attorney general, also rejected the conclusion that EdChoice harms public education.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s claims have been rejected by the courts and even since his return to the White House in 2025 no evidence of widespread fraud has been surfaced.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejected
Verb
  • But Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, widely viewed as a potential top contender for the position, has declined to pledge not to run.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Aguilar declined to take the rest of the day off but then activated the fire alarm system after the meeting and tried to leave the building.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of declined
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

balked
balked (at)
balkiness
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Cite this Entry

“Balked (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked%20%28at%29. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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