BALKING (AT) Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

balking (at)

verb

present participle of balk (at)

as in refusing

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to she balked at lending him any more money

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking (at)

Verb

Even to the point of being fined and sanctioned by the European Union courts for refusing to open their gates to unchecked immigration, in Hungary’s case under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while Poland faced sanctions in 2025.

— Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Carolyn Marvin was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after blocking the path of an Uber delivery robot and refusing to get out of the way.

— Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

This may involve rejecting a command, removing write access, isolating the AI, transferring control back to the operator or moving equipment into a safe state.

— Gregory Shahnovsky, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The sense was that the people who were rejecting the Keynesian model were throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

Women naturally store less creatine than men, and during perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can take a toll on both muscle health and mental clarity.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2026
The result has been sturdy economic growth, even as lower-income and even middle-income households have continued to struggle under stubborn inflation and declining earnings.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

Verb

That means passing up moments that are far more magical to me than to Leo.

— Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Seoul claims Ukraine requested secrecy to avoid domestic criticism for passing up the opportunity to exchange the North Koreans for Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia.

— Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of passing up

Verb

John only found peace by giving up the ring, turning down the gig, and forging his own path.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Oct. 2026
The woman accused of keeping him captive, 58-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, is expected to head to trial after turning down two plea deals during a hearing in Waterbury Superior Court earlier this month.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of turning down

Verb

In his breakout season in 2025, Maye showed that one of his quarterbacking superpowers is throwing over the middle of the field.

— Daniel Popper, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Tatis dealt with Patrick throwing over twice, and catcher Gary Sánchez snapping off a pickoff throw.

— Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of throwing over

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balking

balking (at)

balks

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

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Synonyms of balking (at)

verb

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