BALKS (AT) Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

balks (at)

verb

present tense third-person singular of balk (at)

as in refuses

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to she balked at lending him any more money

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for balks (at)

Verb

But Buddy, the feature debut of Casper Kelly, lets the genre’s relentlessly upbeat tone slowly curdle in the opening sequence, in which one of the kids refuses to play along with day’s lesson about being brave and trying new things.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
With his final book, however, Morris refuses to draw conclusions, letting the ambiguity of Surrealists’ meanings stand.

— Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of refuses

Verb

When a human accepts, rejects or overrides the agent, the organization can reconstruct why—not from a comment field that made sense to the person who wrote it, but from a structured record that holds its meaning after they're gone.

— Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Israel rejects this, viewing the area as disputed rather than occupied.

— Pesha Magid Reuters, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejects

Verb

The fee applies during the first 13 years of the agreement and gradually declines over the remaining initial term.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Recent findings show that early-career workers – ages 22 to 25 – in occupations most vulnerable to AI automation, such as software development and customer service, have experienced employment declines.

— Maria Black, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of declines

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.

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balks

balks (at)

balky

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“Balks (at).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balks%20%28at%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of balks (at)

verb

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