balk

1 of 2

verb

ˈbȯk

sometimes ˈbȯlk

balked; balking; balks

intransitive verb

: to refuse abruptly

—used with at

Congress balked at putting up the money

Thomas Fleming

: to stop short and refuse to proceed

The horse balked at the jump and threw the rider.

sports : to commit a balk (see balk entry 2 sense 1)

transitive verb

: to check or stop by or as if by an obstacle : block

… had neither been balked nor been frightened …

Francis Hackett

archaic : to pass over or by

… such an age as ours balks no expense …

William Cowper

balker noun

Synonyms

Verb

baffle
beat
checkmate
discomfit
foil
frustrate
thwart

Noun

bar
block
chain
clog
cramp
crimp
deterrent
drag
embarrassment
encumbrance
fetter
handicap
hindrance
holdback
hurdle
impediment
inhibition
interference
let
manacle
obstacle
obstruction
shackles
stop
stumbling block
trammel

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

Verb The horse balked and would not jump the fence. The runner on third base tried to make the pitcher balk. Noun the constant interruptions proved to be a balk to the flow of conversation

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Purists and scholars alike will balk at my inclusion of this film on a horror movie list, but Daughters of the Dust operates squarely within the Black Horror tradition.

Lea Anderson, Men's Health, 29 Aug. 2022 Qatar would almost certainly balk at this proposal.

Jonathan Schanzer, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 Or did even the gamely indulgent Russian, though too tactful to say so, balk at the image’s molten energy?

Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 Many would balk at the mere mention of such a conflict, but the reality is that such a scenario is increasingly plausible.

Roger Wicker, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022 Industry may also balk at creating and supporting a white elephant without any assurances of sustained funding from the government.

Rakesh Kumar, Fortune, 14 July 2022 Now, some people may balk at that second word, pride.

Caroline Casey, Forbes, 4 July 2022 But some large health care organizations may balk at handing over their data to Amazon’s cloud arm, AWS.

Mario Aguilar, STAT, 3 June 2022 In today’s precarious economic environment, investors may balk at a gargantuan transaction that forces a company to amass serious amounts of new debt.

Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 25 May 2022

Noun

Maybe, just maybe, that had something to do with ticket prices going for a balk-worthy $140 a pop in the theater.

Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2022 Following a two-run first inning where the Orioles took the lead on three singles and a balk, Mahle was lights out the rest of the way.

Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 31 July 2022 Williams then scored another run on a balk. Hudson Valley went back ahead in the bottom of the fourth with an unearned run, but Aberdeen overcame it with the seventh inning rally.

Randy Mcroberts, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2022 The second base umpire called a balk on Scissum, sending the winning runner home from third and setting off a Mobile Christian celebration.

Ben Thomas | Bthomas@al.com, al, 17 May 2022 The Angels got a break in looking to tie the score when Fletcher and Rengifo advanced when Perez was called for a balk.

Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2022 The Rays lost in extras to the Reds on Friday when Wisler was called for a balk in the 10th inning.

Katie Mcinerney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 For the second year in a row, Oregon turned to Kolby Somers early and the closer was called for a critical balk.

James Crepea | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 5 June 2022 Then a balk from left-hander Daniel Norris brought home a third run in the eighth, propelling the pitching staff to a comfortable outing after winning seven of the previous nine games by two runs or fewer.

Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English balke, from Old English balca; akin to Old High German balko beam, Latin fulcire to prop, Greek phalanx log, phalanx

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

单词	balking
释义	balk 1 of 2 verb ˈbȯk sometimes ˈbȯlk balked; balking; balks intransitive verb 1 : to refuse abruptly —used with at Congress balked at putting up the money Thomas Fleming 2 : to stop short and refuse to proceed The horse balked at the jump and threw the rider. 3 sports : to commit a balk (see balk entry 2 sense 1) transitive verb 1 : to check or stop by or as if by an obstacle : block … had neither been balked nor been frightened … Francis Hackett 2 archaic : to pass over or by … such an age as ours balks no expense … William Cowper balker noun balk 2 of 2 noun 1 a baseball : an occurrence in which a pitcher stops suddenly or makes an illegal movement after starting to throw a pitch The pitcher was charged with a balk. b sports : failure of a competitor to complete a motion (such as a jump, vault, or dive) 2 billiards a : the space behind the balkline on a billiard table b : any of the outside divisions made by the balklines 3 : hindrance, check 4 : beam, rafter 5 : a ridge of land left unplowed as a dividing line or through carelessness Synonyms Verb baffle beat checkmate discomfit foil frustrate thwart Noun bar block chain clog cramp crimp deterrent drag embarrassment encumbrance fetter handicap hindrance holdback hurdle impediment inhibition interference let manacle obstacle obstruction shackles stop stumbling block trammel See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Verb The horse balked and would not jump the fence. The runner on third base tried to make the pitcher balk. Noun the constant interruptions proved to be a balk to the flow of conversation Recent Examples on the Web Verb Purists and scholars alike will balk at my inclusion of this film on a horror movie list, but Daughters of the Dust operates squarely within the Black Horror tradition. Lea Anderson, Men's Health, 29 Aug. 2022 Qatar would almost certainly balk at this proposal. Jonathan Schanzer, WSJ, 15 Aug. 2022 Or did even the gamely indulgent Russian, though too tactful to say so, balk at the image’s molten energy? Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 Many would balk at the mere mention of such a conflict, but the reality is that such a scenario is increasingly plausible. Roger Wicker, National Review, 11 Aug. 2022 Industry may also balk at creating and supporting a white elephant without any assurances of sustained funding from the government. Rakesh Kumar, Fortune, 14 July 2022 Now, some people may balk at that second word, pride. Caroline Casey, Forbes, 4 July 2022 But some large health care organizations may balk at handing over their data to Amazon’s cloud arm, AWS. Mario Aguilar, STAT, 3 June 2022 In today’s precarious economic environment, investors may balk at a gargantuan transaction that forces a company to amass serious amounts of new debt. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 25 May 2022 Noun Maybe, just maybe, that had something to do with ticket prices going for a balk-worthy $140 a pop in the theater. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2022 Following a two-run first inning where the Orioles took the lead on three singles and a balk, Mahle was lights out the rest of the way. Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 31 July 2022 Williams then scored another run on a balk. Hudson Valley went back ahead in the bottom of the fourth with an unearned run, but Aberdeen overcame it with the seventh inning rally. Randy Mcroberts, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2022 The second base umpire called a balk on Scissum, sending the winning runner home from third and setting off a Mobile Christian celebration. Ben Thomas \| Bthomas@al.com, al, 17 May 2022 The Angels got a break in looking to tie the score when Fletcher and Rengifo advanced when Perez was called for a balk. Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2022 The Rays lost in extras to the Reds on Friday when Wisler was called for a balk in the 10th inning. Katie Mcinerney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 July 2022 For the second year in a row, Oregon turned to Kolby Somers early and the closer was called for a critical balk. James Crepea \| The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 5 June 2022 Then a balk from left-hander Daniel Norris brought home a third run in the eighth, propelling the pitching staff to a comfortable outing after winning seven of the previous nine games by two runs or fewer. Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun and Verb Middle English balke, from Old English balca; akin to Old High German balko beam, Latin fulcire to prop, Greek phalanx log, phalanx First Known Use Verb 15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2 Noun before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5 Kids Definition balk verb ˈbȯk balked; balking 1 : to stop short and refuse to go 2 : to refuse to do something often suddenly He balked at paying the bill. balking 1 of 3 adjective as in thwarting Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance thwarting frustrating baffling negating blocking nullifying impeding neutralizing hindering hampering foiling stalling deterrent deterring preventive retardant prophylactic precautionary preventative Antonyms & Near Antonyms assisting aiding facilitating encouraging smoothing easing promoting abetting nurturing fostering forwarding furthering See More balking 2 of 3 noun as in baffling Synonyms & Similar Words thwarting baffling crossing forbidding prohibiting foiling deterrence frustration barring outlawing determent debarment checkmate nullification enjoining proscribing neutralization negation precluding interdicting avoidance circumvention prohibition averting prevention proscription interdiction forestallment Antonyms & Near Antonyms assistance support backing aid encouragement promotion cultivation facilitation advancement nurture See More balking 3 of 3 verb present participle of balk as in frustrating 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 frustrating baffling thwarting hampering stopping preventing overcoming discomfiting impeding defeating halting stalling beating hindering foiling blocking obstructing hobbling checkmating inhibiting checking barring obviating arresting precluding clogging fettering encumbering handicapping negating shackling averting conquering forestalling nullifying holding back offsetting counteracting neutralizing tying up manacling setting back trammelling short-circuiting trammeling tieing up interfering (with) Antonyms & Near Antonyms encouraging promoting advancing assisting fostering aiding cultivating furthering forwarding facilitating easing abetting smoothing nurturing See More
随便看	senior school senior scout senior security senior soldier senior sophister senior wrangler senior yearling seniorer seniorest seniorities senioritis seniority seniority rule seniority unit seniorrer seniorrest seniors senit seniti senities senitis Senlac Senlis senna Senna knot

balk

verb

noun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

adjective

noun

verb