balking (at)

verb

present participle of balk (at)
as in refusing
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 balking (at)
  1. refusing
  2. rejecting
  3. declining
  4. passing up
  5. turning down
  6. throwing over
Verb
  • Biscayne 21’s declaration — the document that establishes the condominium — required a unanimous vote to terminate the building’s condo association, a goal that seemed unlikely with a group of residents refusing to sell.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Court records show Romo was cited for refusing to take a test for intoxication and first offense OWI.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of refusing
Verb
  • The Assembly plan calls for rejecting the governor’s cap on certain damages that people can receive.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The council would have the final say in approving — or rejecting — Lucas’ nomination.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rejecting
Verb
  • The Little Rock School District faces declining enrollment and financial challenges.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The cliff bee population is declining due to overharvesting, habitat destruction and climate change.
    — Prayan Pokharel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • The Emmys’ producers passing up on even the slightest possibility of a Werner Herzog acceptance speech is sheer lunacy.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026
  • The Supreme Court is staying out of a case about whether the Catholic Church misled parishioners about the purpose of an annual collection, passing up a chance to probe the independence churches have from government interference.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 26 May 2026
Definition of passing up
Verb
  • Tucker entered last offseason as the consensus top free agent after turning down a qualifying offer from the Chicago Cubs.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • After all, the billionaire founder lived a whirlwind of a career, turning down lucrative job offers and weathering professional rejection before ultimately launching one of the world’s biggest biotech companies.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning down
Verb
  • Tatis dealt with Patrick throwing over twice, and catcher Gary Sánchez snapping off a pickoff throw.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Later in the inning, though the run would have likely scored anyway, the usually strong relay combination of center fielder Andy Pages and Betts ended with Betts throwing over catcher Ben Rortvedt.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of throwing over
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

balking
balking (at)
balks
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Cite this Entry

“Balking (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking%20%28at%29. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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