How to Use balky in a Sentence

balky

adjective
  • But the hi-tech equipment proved balky in its first live test.
    — Bruce Haring, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2024
  • Curry missed his 25th game in a row with a balky right knee.
    — CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Curry missed his 25th game in a row with a balky right knee.
    — ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • In the past, if his car was balky in practice, there was tension.
    — Hank Kurz Jr, The Seattle Times, 28 Apr. 2017
  • He's been out for more than a week and will get a second opinion on his balky knee.
    — USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2018
  • But sometimes the line gets balky when the customer in front can’t quite make up their mind.
    — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, 6 July 2019
  • But there was no stampede by others to buy the balky machine.
    — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 13 Apr. 2018
  • The laptops the corps members had been given were old and balky.
    — Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 25 Sep. 2011
  • The culprit in his defining stretch on the front nine was a balky driver.
    — Bob Spear, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2024
  • His balky shoulder, if it gets knocked again, could finish his season.
    — Eric Bolin, ajc, 11 Oct. 2017
  • At one point, after many months, the shifting did start getting a bit balky.
    — Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 23 May 2021
  • The balky charger is 19 years old; the one that failed in the spring was almost as old.
    — Fox News, 16 Oct. 2019
  • Ayo Dosunmu is playing with a balky calf.
    — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 11 May 2026
  • Hali, a first-round pick of the team in 2006, has battled balky knees the last few years.
    — Terez A. Paylor, kansascity, 12 Mar. 2018
  • Stafford's balky elbow could also be a red flag, not to mention the dearth of blocking in front of him.
    — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2022
  • Ford played just 226 snaps last year because of his balky knee and a hamstring injury.
    — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, 6 Sep. 2020
  • Right guard Kyle Long looks like a shadow of his former self because of a balky hip.
    — David Haugh, chicagotribune.com, 8 Oct. 2019
  • Booker is no longer bogged down by either his balky knee or his adjustment from the college game to the pros.
    — Ap, USA TODAY, 31 May 2017
  • Switches that trigger the organ’s pistons are plagued with leaky valves and balky contacts.
    — USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2020
  • The technical production itself is a bit balky at times.
    — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Vaughn did not have a history of balky knees or a penchant for controversy.
    — Seth Berkman, New York Times, 2 June 2017
  • He was visited by Roberts and the training staff when a balky knee began barking.
    — Mark Whicker, Orange County Register, 22 June 2017
  • The capsaicin will blast those balky sinuses and give you an happy endorphin boost.
    — Debbie Moose, charlotteobserver, 7 Feb. 2018
  • The veteran has started every game and has been nursing a balky hamstring.
    — Kevin Acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, 4 May 2018
  • Watson isn’t likely to contend this weekend, not with a balky putting stroke and a driver that seems to lose yardage by the week.
    — Mike Berardino, Indianapolis Star, 26 June 2019
  • Judge played in just four games against the Rays this season because of the balky right calf that kept him out of 30 games.
    — Kristie Ackert, courant.com, 5 Oct. 2020
  • Robertson, despite a balky Achilles, still played 28 minutes.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2021
  • White is being backed up by Cobie Durant, who also has a balky hamstring.
    — Jay Paris, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2024
  • But asking a 30-year-old with balky legs to carry this burden is dangerous, if not foolish.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
  • But Musgrove’s balky elbow finally gave out in the wild-card series against the Braves.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'balky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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