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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking (at)
Verb
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While in Jamaica, the Ramírez boys were sent to a very conservative private school to learn English and were punished for refusing to sing the British national anthem in morning assembly.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026 -
Much of it explodes, though; one false post of Nix refusing to wear a rainbow armband has over 2,300 reactions.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But a jury apparently disagreed, convicting Amiri of a civil rights violation that relied heavily on Manly-Williams’ testimony and rejecting all other charges, including conspiracy to violate civil rights.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Talarico represents the Democrats who believe that winning is possible by rejecting rather than emulating the president’s least flattering qualities.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mavis Leno's advanced dementia diagnosis was revealed in 2024, when her husband was granted conservatorship over her estate amid her declining health.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Jan. 2026
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District leaders pointed to declining student achievement, a lack of resources for the school's special education program, and insurmountable financial issues with the school.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wembanyama has been passing up many reasonable 3-point looks in the preseason and only taking wide-open ones.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Science scores were also mixed between grades, with 5th graders passing up 1%, 8th graders down 2% and high schoolers down 3%.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deep into stoppage time, fans vented their spleen at the sight of Dominik Szoboszlai turning down the chance to cross into the box, instead opting to pass sideways to Ibrahima Konate.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
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Born in Laurel, Mississippi, on November 29, 1935, Ladd was interested in acting from a young age, even turning down a college scholarship to pursue the craft.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Mayfield was 8 of 9 for 144 yards throwing over the middle against a defense that lost Warner on the second defensive series.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
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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 23 Jan. 2026.
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