as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the constant interruptions proved to be a balk to the flow of conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to refuse
to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
she balked at lending him any more money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of balk
Staff, Twin Cities, 14 May 2025
After a 13-3 Brock victory in game one, the Bobcats responded, and game two was ultra-competitive; the Eagles scored a late go-ahead run due to a balk, and Brock took the series with a 3-2 victory.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025
But Moreno balked at moving Ohtani, according to league sources who were granted anonymity for their candor.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for balk
Noun
The Twins trailed by a run when Willi Castro led off the eighth with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a balk by Yennier Cano (0-3).
—Staff, Twin Cities, 14 May 2025
After a 13-3 Brock victory in game one, the Bobcats responded, and game two was ultra-competitive; the Eagles scored a late go-ahead run due to a balk, and Brock took the series with a 3-2 victory.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
Verb
So modern stars like Rafael Devers aren’t the first to balk at changing positions.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2025
But Moreno balked at moving Ohtani, according to league sources who were granted anonymity for their candor.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for balk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk
Noun
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Existing Challenges While the impact of these types of fintechs is already significant, their work is not without its own set of obstacles, and several ongoing challenges remain.—
Murtaza Ali,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Raise the stakes, place insuperable obstacles before the protagonist, have the protagonist somehow surmount them while becoming braver and better.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Though House approval is still needed, the Senate vote marked a major hurdle, because the stadium incentives stalled there last month.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 June 2025
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Diagnosis Delays Hurt Women’s Outcomes Even before a clinical trial is an option, women face significant hurdles in getting a diagnosis.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Tacoma is Seattle’s industrial flunky, the also-ran, the perennial embarrassment.—
Caroline Fraser
June 10,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2025
-
Eric Adams’ collaboration has delivered nothing but embarrassment, money being stolen from our city coffers, and immigrant families being torn apart.—
Zohran Mamdani,
New York Daily News,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Salivary Blockages Blockages or obstructions to the salivary glands may also cause mouth dryness because saliva doesn't flow as easily to the mouth.10 7.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
6 June 2025
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Pullman and Lynch were convicted by a federal jury of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Balk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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