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
  • Colombia has begun receiving international aid and rescuers after initially refusing some offers in the crucial hours following Monday’s devastating earthquake.
    — Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • They have been used to subdue violent suspects who are refusing to get into squad cars and inmates who are harming themselves and threatening officers, according to Compliant Technologies.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • Following fan outcry, Warners then decided to explore offers to sell it, only to — after rejecting various bids — seemingly take it off the market.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Thurmond offered only a brief explanation for rejecting the appeal, leaving the decision somewhat at odds with the state’s separate finding that the teachers agreement would have improved the district’s financial position.
    — Chaewon Chung August 11, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • Farage did not give a victory speech after declining to attend the declaration, claiming police had warned of a campaign to disrupt it.
    — Reagan Yip, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Is the town’s population growing or declining, and by how much?
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • The Emmys’ producers passing up on even the slightest possibility of a Werner Herzog acceptance speech is sheer lunacy.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026
  • The Supreme Court is staying out of a case about whether the Catholic Church misled parishioners about the purpose of an annual collection, passing up a chance to probe the independence churches have from government interference.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 May 2026
Definition of passing up
Verb
  • Watch Ringwald — who stars in One Night Only, in theaters Friday— discuss turning down Ghost in the video above.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Here are six signs that turning down a job offer deserves serious consideration.
    — Kathy Caprino, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of turning down
Verb
  • Whatever Holmes is toting or throwing over her shoulders, women across the major East Coast cities are spotting and swiftly adding to cart.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 31 July 2026
  • Anthony had a cortisone shot last week and had begun throwing over the weekend.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 21 May 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Balking (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking%20%28at%29. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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