MEANING
To stop short or refuse to proceed because of resistance, apprehension, or objection.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- balk at a demand
- balk at the threshold
- balk at the risk
On the page
The horse balked at the narrow footbridge.
She balked at entering the chamber without a radio.
Even he balked when the supervisor demanded they remove the safety line.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- balk / balks
- Past tense
- balked
- Past participle
- balked
- Present participle
- balking
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- balk / balks
- Present continuous
- am/is/are balking
- Present perfect
- have/has balked
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been balking
- Past
- balked
- Past continuous
- was/were balking
- Past perfect
- had balked
- Past perfect continuous
- had been balking
- Future
- will balk / balks
- Future continuous
- will be balking
- Future perfect
- will have balked
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been balking
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. Usually followed by at; not every refusal is fearful. Baulk is a British spelling, not a separate lexeme. Verb forms (base, third-person singular, past, past participle, -ing): balk, balks, balked, balked, balking. British spelling series: baulk, baulks, baulked, baulked, baulking.
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