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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balks (at)
Verb
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Each person gets a single scene but feels utterly real, with Will Dagger a standout as the cousin, leaking needy bravado, and Constance Shulman very funny as the funeral director, determined to stage a party for a host who refuses to throw one.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026 -
The journalist turns his attention to Oda Sotatsu, a man who has admitted to a string of disappearances but refuses to speak another word after surrendering to police.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Verb
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In many ways, the collection rejects the rigidity that has long defined traditional menswear, prioritizing emotional connection and ease over overt trend cycles or hyper-masculine dressing.—
Karin Eldor,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
The island's ruling party rejects that claim.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Sitting at elevations between 1,250 and 1,750 feet, the vineyards are blessed with strong, hot sunlight during the day and significant nighttime temperature declines.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
24 May 2026
-
More specifically, the authors observed that satisfaction drops most steeply during the first 10 years of a relationship, slightly recovers later, and then declines again over time.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Balks (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balks%20%28at%29. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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