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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balks (at)
Verb
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From start to finish, Larsson’s latest refuses to ever slow down, instead trafficking in high-energy dance-pop joy.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025 -
Lockwood, for one, refuses to sum her story up neatly.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When Rabbit asks to be the one to adopt Stacey after her graduation, Evelyn abusively rejects the notion and Rabbit is crushed.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
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The White House has expressed how this was a moment of embarrassment but also suggested an attempt at a plot against the president, although the UN’s statement rejects this.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The weekly decline came after two straight weeks of double-digit demand declines, in which the volumes slumped by 12 percent and 11 percent, respectively.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Sep. 2025
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Dwight also declines that, angering Ray.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
21 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Balks (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balks%20%28at%29. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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