as in refuses
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 balks (at)
Verb
-
However, instead of caving to the demands of the USFF's powers-that-be, Cam refuses to sacrifice his soul by signing the contract and proceeds to unleash his strength on everyone involved in the demonic proceedings in an ultra-violent massacre.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025 -
Internet users are obsessed with a dog who refuses to get in the bath until her favorite song starts playing, leaving many to laud her high standards.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His wife approves or rejects the content ideas as well as his daughter, who is a sophomore in high school, but Musselman has no fear of putting himself out there.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
If the court rejects the stipulation, the case could proceed to a full hearing before the Commission.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If the Supreme Court declines review, Hernandez would face retrial unless prosecutors decide not to pursue the case further.—
Adeola Adeosun
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The Times’ proprietor, Patrick Soon-Shiong, now declines to support political candidates, a decision that conflicts with his community’s liberal constituency.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
11 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Balks (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balks%20%28at%29. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share