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
  • The former special counsel also cited former Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to go along with a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 election by rejecting the electoral votes of battleground states that Biden won.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Botner testified that Flynn repeatedly refused to leave his wife to be with her, straining their relationship.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Their case was previously rejected by the district court and appeals court.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Meta, a week ago, rejected, then reversed course on an ad for Alex Gibney’s doc takedown Musk, and now a studio is about to weigh in on Meta.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejected
Verb
  • Police initially declined to share details about the victim beyond his age and gender to The Times on Thursday night.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Warsh at the start of the summer declined to say whether rates should rise.
    — Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 3 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Balked (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked%20%28at%29. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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