as in to refuse
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 balk (at)
Verb
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In hearings at the Constitutional Court, which is deliberating whether to formally remove Mr. Yoon from office, both Lieutenant General Lee and Lieutenant General Yeo refused to discuss details of their roles for fear that their testimony would be used against them during their own criminal trials.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2025 -
In response, the woman not only refused to bake a cake this year but also skipped the party altogether.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Florida Supreme Court and a federal appeals court each rejected appeals to delay James' execution.—
Landon Mion,
Fox News,
19 Mar. 2025
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Gaga rejects a string of Latin suitors — Alejandro, Fernando, Roberto — via melodies that evoke ABBA and Madonna, over a thumping beat, like Ace of Base gone EDM.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Columbia officials declined to comment on the pending litigation.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
14 Mar. 2025
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Hynes declined to address the penalty kill after the game as not to jinx it.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Many fans, peers, and onlookers reacted, but one person who couldn’t pass up a chance to provide commentary is none other than 50 Cent.—
Regina Cho,
VIBE.com,
18 Mar. 2025
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The team already invested a lot of money in Cole Kmet, but Warren is extremely talented and can be used in creative ways, which is too good to pass up for the Bears.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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