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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked (at)
Verb
-
It was flatly refused by the Newsom administration.
-
When Randazzo refused, Holston shot him in the back of the head.
Verb
-
Indigenous groups protested the last time Mount Rushmore hosted a fireworks display, and former President Joe Biden's administration rejected subsequent attempts to have fireworks at the national monument.
-
Judge Sullivan rejected the DOJ's arguments against releasing the materials and concluded that the Public Integrity Project, a public interest law firm, demonstrated that independent journalist Katie Phang was harmed by the materials being withheld.
Verb
-
The Dadar Parsi Colony Gymkhana declined to comment because the matter is before the courts.
-
Starmer's popularity has also declined amid a persistently high cost of living, sluggish economic growth and criticism over his acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Balked (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked%20%28at%29. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
