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)
Verb
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The stories below belong to 13 Black women who refused to be reduced to a statistic.—
Ayren Jackson-Cannady,
SELF,
29 May 2026 -
Allen refused to unload the bike, which weighed roughly 300 pounds, according to court records.—
Rose Evans
Updated May 29,
Idaho Statesman,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The ceasefire hinged on an end to Hezbollah attacks, but the group was not party to the talks and its leader rejected the pact.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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That ad, like the others, was rejected by WMATA, according to the lawsuit.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Those who declined frequently faced intense criticism from media outlets and activists.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
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Major events such as Hamilton and an Issa Rae show were swiftly canceled, staff departures staggered departments and drained the organization of expertise, and ticket sales drastically declined.—
Janay Kingsberry,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
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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 7 Jun. 2026.
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