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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking (at)
  1. refusing
  2. rejecting
  3. declining
  4. passing up
  5. turning down
  6. throwing over
Verb
  • Even to the point of being fined and sanctioned by the European Union courts for refusing to open their gates to unchecked immigration, in Hungary’s case under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while Poland faced sanctions in 2025.
    — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Carolyn Marvin was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after blocking the path of an Uber delivery robot and refusing to get out of the way.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • Alvarez said that rejecting Amendment 2 means rejecting the small farmer who can’t keep cows in the field.
    — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Stewart was an executive producer of his friend Colbert’s show and harshly criticized the cancellation, rejecting Paramount’s financial justification and accusing the company of bending the knee to the president.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • Chinese firms have been suffering from declining profit growth amid intense competition that has eroded margins and even invited the government to step in.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While program closures at colleges and universities often result from declining enrollment or a financial crisis, our decisions at Valencia are driven by neither.
    — Kathleen Plinske, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • That means passing up moments that are far more magical to me than to Leo.
    — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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
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

balking
balking (at)
balks
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Cite this Entry

“Balking (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking%20%28at%29. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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