as in refuses
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 balks (at)
Verb
-
As a guy who is simply not built for summer (sweaty, burns easily, refuses to wear shorts), the turning of the calendar to September adds a little lead to my tread, with visions of cider and sweaters dancing in my head.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025 -
And even though the military is short of manpower, the government refuses to draft ultra-orthodox men, whose religious political parties are key to the Netanyahu coalition.—
Ron Scherf,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The seeds of bombs planted by soldiers long gone remain dormant but alive just beneath the surface and yet the land rejects them every day.—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Hermlin rejects that characterization.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bonnie Treichel, an attorney who specializes in ERISA, expects more firms to seize on private assets as the number of public companies declines and the private market grows.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Then the real value of dollars, meaning their purchasing power, declines.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Balks (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balks%20%28at%29. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share