as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the constant interruptions proved to be a balk to the flow of conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of balk
Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The Yankees committed four errors and a costly balk in Thursday’s defeat, leading to four unearned runs on a night Boston went 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 baserunners.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2025
Charlie Campbell, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for balk
Noun
Hassell walked, went to second on a balk, and scored on a Nunez single.
—Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The Yankees committed four errors and a costly balk in Thursday’s defeat, leading to four unearned runs on a night Boston went 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 baserunners.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
MiniMax is focusing on offering comparable services to OpenAI at around one tenth of the cost, with Yan noting how many users in South or Southeast Asia would balk at the $200 monthly subscription cost for ChatGPT Pro.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
And finally, in late October, when plans for another bilateral summit were shelved (again because the Kremlin seemed unwilling to compromise), the White House slapped sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil giants, Lukoil and Rosneft – a step even the Biden administration had balked at.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for balk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk
Noun
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Why cruise lines conduct safety drills Safety drills, also called muster drills, are not the brainchild of a sadistic cruise ship officer, trying to place obstacles between cruise guests and their sunbathing and cocktails.—
Erica Silverstein,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
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University officials tried to reassure the campus that the impacts of the new policy would be minimal, affecting only a small portion of the classes being offered and that class cancellations wouldn’t create any obstacles preventing students from staying on course to graduate.—
Juan A. Lozano,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Paczocha and his wife were frustrated by growing unrest stemming from Black Lives Matter protests and six months of COVID-19 restrictions the family believed were overly strict.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Jan. 2026
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Naturally, many were frustrated with the long wait times, and particularly outraged at just how pricey the tickets were selling for this time around (upwards of $1,000 a ticket).—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The first major hurdle was genetics and to solve it, the research team built a dedicated breeding base in Lueyang county in Shaanxi, where Northwest A&F University is based.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
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Because they are considered low-impact, Type II actions are exempt from the full SEQRA environmental review process, which saves time and reduces bureaucratic hurdles.—
Carlina Rivera,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Top of mind is a package of six appropriations bills that must pass by Friday to thwart a partial government shutdown.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Attorneys representing the federal government have characterized the state and local challenges as an attempt to thwart law enforcement and impede their federal duties.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Panic, self-doubt, and embarrassment set in.—
Meg Walters,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
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The latter, of course, gives better info, and the former gives fleeting metaphors and nearly faints from embarrassment.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Homeowners and residents are baffled by the attacks upon their beautiful — but otherwise seemingly useless — plants.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Georgia basketball’s matchup with Tennessee ended in baffling fashion Wednesday night.—
Olivia Sayer,
AJC.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Renee Good’s killing raised the profile of the resistance, as well as questions about the lines between observation and obstruction.—
Eric Roper,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
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Howard County Circuit Court Judge Stephanie Porter also found Zeah guilty on one of two obstruction of justice charges, but didn't convict on the other.—
Dennis Valera,
CBS News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But that didn’t stop her, and a few days later Waller was able to make contact with Huntington-Whiteley through another fashion influencer on Instagram – and the designer coat was successfully acquired.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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The officers provided first aid and attempted to stop the bleeding following the shooting, according to the agency.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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