balking 1 of 3

balking

2 of 3

noun

balking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of balk

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of balking
Verb
Higher education is under siege, with many students and parents balking at high costs. Washington Post, 10 June 2026 But Democrats are now balking at a long-term extension over their objections to Pulte. John Parkinson, ABC News, 9 June 2026 GitHub users who have grown accustomed to using its Copilot integration as part of their workflow are balking at cost estimates as the service moves toward per-token billing, rather than per-request billing, Ars Technica reports. Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026 Philip Roth and John Updike can be accused of many things, but balking at full-frontal heterosexuality is not one of them. Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 According to Puck, YouTube may sit out entirely after balking at splitting a five-game package with Netflix. Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026 Then came the eighth inning, which saw Yankees longman Ryan Yarbrough give up a grand slam to Jo Adell after balking and intentionally walking Trout. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026 But out in the world, shoppers started balking at the cost of a bag of chips. Wire Tbd, Dallas Morning News, 8 Apr. 2026 But out in the world, shoppers started balking at the cost of a bag of chips. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking
Adjective
  • So with that, that is extremely frustrating to, to members of Congress, especially Senate Republicans who think legislation like the bipartisan housing bill is good for voters heading into the midterms.
    NBC news, NBC news, 28 June 2026
  • But months later, Feldstein Soto’s office still hasn’t executed the contracts, frustrating tenants rights advocates and the nonprofits, which are struggling to pay their staff without the funds from the city.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • The attack’s thwarting was an undeniable success.
    Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The thwarting of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA’s fastest squads, is the quintessential White play.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The sanctions are hampering work on a broad array of investigations at the court.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 June 2026
  • Winds of up to 50 mph stoked the flames and severely limited the fire response by hampering boat and aircraft access to the remote island.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • Would Huston be proud that this baffling story continues to find new audiences during the World Cup?
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 June 2026
  • Astronomers may have finally cracked one of the most baffling mysteries about the Milky Way after decades of research.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
Noun
  • These figures mark a clear increase from depressed crossing rates seen during much of the Iran war since its start in late February.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
  • Flying bricks damaged the crossing’s signal arms, and the crossing was closed by Union Pacific.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • And the heat’s not stopping anytime soon.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026
  • Video shows how chase led to deadly crash Instead of stopping, the purple car accelerated and sped through a red light, according to video from Joel’s dashboard camera.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • The winner was the player who avoided being blocked the longest — a blocking game, a category of strategy game where the objective centers on restricting your opponent’s movement.
    Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The platform is designed to provide the US military with a cost-effective deterrence capability that can be produced quickly to meet growing operational demands, according to a statement by Lockheed.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 June 2026
  • Japan is enacting its most significant security policy shift since 1954, transitioning from a narrowly defensive posture to robust deterrence.
    Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Balking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.

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