balks (at)

verb

present tense third-person singular of balk (at)
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)
  1. refuses
  2. rejects
  3. declines
Verb
  • Each time the topic comes up, Jones flatly refuses to consider curtains.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
  • If Paramount refuses, Bonta said the coalition would seek a temporary restraining order asking a judge to hold up the merger, a move that would cause costly delays and escalate legal expenses for Paramount.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of refuses
Verb
  • DeVoto persuades an editor at Houghton Mifflin to offer them a contract; when Houghton Mifflin eventually rejects the manuscript, DeVoto gets Knopf interested.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • Israel rejects that position, saying the West Bank is disputed territory where there has been ​a Jewish presence for thousands of years.
    — Rami Ayyub, USA Today, 11 July 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • An engagement score declines, a review meeting goes flat, a survey response comes back indifferent—and the team responds.
    — Frank Auger, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • If a winner cannot be contacted; fails to respond within ten (10) days; is found ineligible; or declines the prize, The Athletic may select an alternate winner.
    — The Athletic, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of declines
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

balks
balks (at)
balky
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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 22 Jul. 2026.

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