as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the constant interruptions proved to be a balk to the flow of conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to frustrate
to prevent from achieving a goal
a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of balk
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
The teams scored eight runs in a 46-minute first inning, which featured seven walks, a hit batter, an umpires conference, two balks, all nine batters for both teams coming to the plate and a total of 79 pitches between starters Ben Brown and Kyle Hart and Padres reliever Logan Gillaspie.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Odette Yousef, NPR, 8 May 2025
More openings also exist in those states after Republican senators balked at allowing the Biden administration to fill seats there.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for balk
Noun
The Padres scored the first run of the game in the fourth inning when Schmidt was called for a balk with the bases loaded.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025
The teams scored eight runs in a 46-minute first inning, which featured seven walks, a hit batter, an umpires conference, two balks, all nine batters for both teams coming to the plate and a total of 79 pitches between starters Ben Brown and Kyle Hart and Padres reliever Logan Gillaspie.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
While most Americans may balk at the idea of charging women who get abortions with homicide, some legal experts say those norms could shift.
—Odette Yousef, NPR, 8 May 2025
More openings also exist in those states after Republican senators balked at allowing the Biden administration to fill seats there.
—Carl Hulse, New York Times, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for balk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk
Noun
-
The Times spoke to both sides, as well as multiple experts to better understand the high-stakes litigation, which faces obstacles but could shake up California’s home insurance industry.—
Laurence Darmiento,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
-
Kennedy’s announcement does not broadly address healthy adults, but under the new FDA framework, healthy adults who wish to receive the fall COVID-19 vaccine will likely face obstacles.—
Libby Richards,
The Conversation,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Musk was reportedly frustrated about OpenAI being part of the deal and allegedly warned G42 officials on a call that Trump would not sign off on a deal unless his company xAI was included.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
His Democratic Party predecessor, Moon Jae-in, had three years with a near supermajority in the legislature but had his agenda frustrated by party colleagues with little appetite for painful corrective measures.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Though House approval is still needed, the Senate vote marked a major hurdle, because the stadium incentives stalled there last month.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 June 2025
-
Diagnosis Delays Hurt Women’s Outcomes Even before a clinical trial is an option, women face significant hurdles in getting a diagnosis.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
Musk also joined Trump in criticizing the courts for trying to thwart DOGE cuts and executive actions, including tariffs and migrant deportations.—
Haisten Willis,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
-
Defenses managed to down six ballistic missiles and 128 drones, while another 117 drones disappeared from radar and were thwarted by electronic warfare, the statement said.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
The press had assembled to watch Earhart soar, and instead witnessed an embarrassment.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
King, whose chapter represents Treasury employees in the D.C. area, accused the national union of just hoping the internal problem goes away, and instead the issue is creating an embarrassment.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
What’s more, the double-stitched seams and baffle box design keep lumps at bay.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
28 May 2025
-
The owner shared a video of the car veering left, a video that has Tesla examiner’s baffled.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
Additionally, 24% of providers in Colorado reported incidents of obstruction over those two years, and 18% experienced threats.—
Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton,
Denver Post,
22 May 2025
-
Aid must flow immediately, without obstruction and at scale, because this is what is needed.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
On September 2, Border Force officers had stopped two women at London Stansted Airport.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
-
Goldman Sachs and Nasdaq have both stopped requiring companies using them for an IPO to have diverse board members.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Balk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share