BALKING (AT) Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

balking (at)

verb

present participle of balk (at)

as in refusing

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to she balked at lending him any more money

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking (at)

Verb

But a few months after her first birthday, Karuna began refusing meals.

— Raj Panjabi, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
Trump, in a Truth Social post, accused the media of hypocrisy for allegedly refusing to cover past purchases of Russian energy by the European Union.

— Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

This may involve rejecting a command, removing write access, isolating the AI, transferring control back to the operator or moving equipment into a safe state.

— Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The sense was that the people who were rejecting the Keynesian model were throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

Women naturally store less creatine than men, and during perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can take a toll on both muscle health and mental clarity.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2026
The result has been sturdy economic growth, even as lower-income and even middle-income households have continued to struggle under stubborn inflation and declining earnings.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

Verb

Seoul claims Ukraine requested secrecy to avoid domestic criticism for passing up the opportunity to exchange the North Koreans for Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia.

— Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026
The game featured a fourth-quarter comeback by Mizzou and a Tigers fan passing up a chance to win $25k to troll the Jayhawks instead.

— Justin Williams, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of passing up

Verb

John only found peace by giving up the ring, turning down the gig, and forging his own path.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
The woman accused of keeping him captive, 58-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, is expected to head to trial after turning down two plea deals during a hearing in Waterbury Superior Court earlier this month.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of turning down

Verb

In his breakout season in 2025, Maye showed that one of his quarterbacking superpowers is throwing over the middle of the field.

— Daniel Popper, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Tatis dealt with Patrick throwing over twice, and catcher Gary Sánchez snapping off a pickoff throw.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of throwing over

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balking

balking (at)

balks

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“Balking (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking%20%28at%29. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of balking (at)

verb

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