balked (at)

past tense of balk (at)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked (at)
Verb
  • It was flatly refused by the Newsom administration.
    Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
  • When Randazzo refused, Holston shot him in the back of the head.
    Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026
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.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 25 June 2026
  • 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.
    James Hill, ABC News, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • District officials declined to provide the correspondence with Carvalho, instead assigning the request to the district’s Public Records Act unit, where some requests for records have taken years to resolve.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
  • The public prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the case when reached by CNN.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 28 June 2026
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

Cite this Entry

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster