BALK (AT) Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

balk (at)

verb

Definition of balk (at)

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk (at)

Verb

Gee refused to budge, saying the 10-year ban was firm and accusing the national organizations of encouraging the break.

— Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
In one instance, a Minnesota hotel that refused to let immigration officers stay there in January apologized after public criticism from DHS, saying the decision violated its internal policies.

— Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of refuse

Verb

Quebec voters have twice rejected independence, most recently by a razor-thin margin in a 1995 referendum.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
For countries that rejected the open international order, as the axis countries do today, the benefits were far fewer and the penalties considerable.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of reject

Verb

Jake Hansen picked off Ward's pass up the middle on the ensuing drive.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Then came a third-and-5 deep in South Carolina territory, the type those Gators usually would offer a pass up the right sideline or a sprint around the edge by Baugh.

— Noah White, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of pass up

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

balkanized

balk (at)

balked

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Balk (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk%20%28at%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of balk (at)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes