balked (at)

verb

past tense of balk (at)
as in refused
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 balked (at)
  1. refused
  2. rejected
  3. declined
Verb
  • Burnham has refused to rule out tax hikes, and the British press is reporting that windfall taxes targeting banks might be on the table.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Iran has continued to attack some tankers shuttling oil through the strait – but those could be ships that refused to pay a toll, Brouhard suggested.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of refused
Verb
  • Their case was previously rejected by the district court and appeals court.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Meta, a week ago, rejected, then reversed course on an ad for Alex Gibney’s doc takedown Musk, and now a studio is about to weigh in on Meta.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejected
Verb
  • The local district attorney declined to seek criminal charges, but the criminal case was reopened after the lawsuit was filed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The campaign for the Democratic nominee for governor, David Jolly, declined to comment on what the new opinion meant for the Hope Florida saga.
    — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of declined
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.

Browse Nearby Words

balked
balked (at)
balkiness
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Cite this Entry

“Balked (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked%20%28at%29. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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