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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Many Democrats have adopted a more brash and confrontational style of politics, which refuses to keep anything quiet.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025 -
Paul Thomas Anderson fits a generation’s worth of cineplex joys into One Battle After Another, but the revolution refuses to get off the couch.—
Jonathan Lethem,
The New York Review of Books,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cooper made a film that rejects the conventions of its genre, that is unafraid to be slow and patient in the telling of its narrative, and that wasn’t made to appeal to everyone immediately upon release.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
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The October court order rejects the Department of Education’s motion to dismiss the case and blocks the administration from implementing the discontinuation against nearly 50 grantees across the country while the lawsuit continues.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Moderating declines at Vans suggest that the brand’s overhaul is taking shape.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
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If the player declines the qualifying offer, his previous team is entitled to an extra draft pick as compensation.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2025.
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