balked (at)

verb

past tense of balk (at)
as in refused
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 balked (at)
  1. refused
  2. rejected
  3. declined
Verb
  • Immigration officials have defended the shooting, saying Belgal refused to exit the vehicle and the agent didn't know there was a child in the backseat.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Allegedly, King Charles has urged Harry and William to make amends, but William has refused.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Wilson, the attorney general, also rejected the conclusion that EdChoice harms public education.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s claims have been rejected by the courts and even since his return to the White House in 2025 no evidence of widespread fraud has been surfaced.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejected
Verb
  • The Prime Minister’s office declined to comment for this story.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Authorities declined to say how many former fighters had signed up.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of declined
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

balked
balked (at)
balkiness
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Cite this Entry

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

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