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
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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
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Recent Examples of balk
Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The Yankees committed four errors and a costly balk in Thursday’s defeat, leading to four unearned runs on a night Boston went 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 baserunners.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Aug. 2025
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
According to Disney, the carriage fee increases that Google is balking at are in line with what Disney has successfully negotiated with other distributors, including it own Hulu + Live TV and Fubo services.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for balk
Noun
Hassell walked, went to second on a balk, and scored on a Nunez single.
—Verb
Among the reasons being floated on social media is that Dick Monfort balked at the idea of allowing a new front-office boss to clean house and bring in his own staff.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for balk
Noun
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Joint pain that turns stairs into obstacles.—
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One other obstacle the White House will need to contend with, Hochstein said, is blowback from Gulf countries and from China.—
Verb
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Games that are too easy bore older players, while overly complex games can frustrate younger ones.—
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But while Coogan racked up millions of views for his YouTube explainers about political figures like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, he was frustrated by the hours of prep work that went into producing a single episode.—
Noun
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Billing Headaches Clearing the access hurdles to HIV prevention medicine was just the beginning.—
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Development of Greenland’s mineral resources is challenging because of the island’s harsh climate, while strict environmental controls have proved an additional hurdle for potential investors.—
Verb
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Citizens of Minneapolis took to the streets, throwing snowballs at their own local police and local businesses proudly displayed signs in their windows instructing people how to use whistles to thwart ICE.—
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The Irvine Police Department arrested two people after officers thwarted a $100,000 handbag heist early Tuesday morning.—
Noun
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Vulnerability is currency on reality television, and after a season of exposing their own struggles and embarrassments, the other women are annoyed that Meredith wants to keep up appearances.—
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The current Giants are built to avoid embarrassment, not maximize upside — and Super Bowls require risk.—
Verb
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Experts on childhood disease were baffled by the change in guidance.—
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Experts on childhood disease were baffled by the change in guidance.—
Noun
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In the aftermath, hundreds of rioters were charged with federal crimes, including assault, seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding.—
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William DeFoor was identified as the suspect, and jail records show he was booked Monday on charges of vandalism, obstruction of official business, criminal damaging or endangering, and criminal trespass.—
Verb
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Several vehicles that stopped behind her appear to belong to federal agents, based on activity observed in other videos.—
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The prioritization for that new safety should probably be in coverage skills, because Moehrig and Ransom are known more for their run-stopping and tackling prowesses.—
Cite this Entry
“Balk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balk. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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