balk

balk — verb

IPA/bɔːk/
KK[bˈɔk]IPA/bɔːk/
  • balkpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • balkshe / she / it
  • balkedpast simple
  • balking-ing form

1. to show clearly through your actions or words that you will not accept a demand,

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to show clearly through your actions or words that you will not accept a demand, situation, or activity, especially when it seems unreasonable or risky.

Example

The committee balked at the proposal when it saw the total cost.

balk at + noun phrase

Hamza balked when the landlord demanded six months of rent in advance.

Common collocations
  • balk at the cost
  • balk at the idea
  • balk at the thought
  • balk at paying
  • balk at the suggestion
Synonyms
  • hesitate

    softer and less defiant; simply pauses rather than refuses outright

  • draw the line

    idiomatic; implies setting a firm moral or practical boundary

  • resist

    more active; suggests pushing back rather than just refusing to proceed

Antonyms
  • accept

    to agree willingly to something after consideration

  • embrace

    to welcome something enthusiastically, the opposite of resisting it

Grammar Patterns

balk at + noun phrase

balk at + gerund

Usage Note

Never used with a direct object. The pattern 'balk at + gerund' is particularly common in formal or written English.

Common Mistakes

She balked to pay the extra fee.
She balked at paying the extra fee.
balk is followed by 'at' and a gerund, not by a to-infinitive.

2. on the baseball field, to begin the motion of pitching toward the batter but cut

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

on the baseball field, to begin the motion of pitching toward the batter but cut it short before releasing the ball, which breaks the rules and allows runners on base to move up one base.

Example

The pitcher balked in the second inning, allowing the runner on third to score.

balk + time phrase (in the... inning)

Renata's coach told her never to balk when there are runners on base.

Common collocations
  • the pitcher balked
  • called for a balk
  • balk with runners on base

Grammar Patterns

balk (intransitive)

balk + when / if clause

Usage Note

Almost exclusively used in baseball contexts. The same action as a noun is called 'a balk' (see noun sense 2). Distinguish from verb sense 1: a baseball pitcher performing a balk is not showing reluctance — the motion is accidental or deceptive.

Common Mistakes

The referee called a balk on the pitcher.' (in basketball)
The umpire called a balk on the pitcher.
use umpire for baseball, referee for basketball/football.

3. to prevent someone from achieving something, or to stop a plan or process from m

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to prevent someone from achieving something, or to stop a plan or process from moving forward.

Example

Lack of funding balked the research team's efforts to develop a vaccine.

passive clue: balked by [obstacle]

The new environmental rules balked any attempt to build a factory near the river.

Common collocations
  • balk efforts
  • balk plans
  • balk attempts
  • balk progress
Synonyms
  • block

    more common in everyday English; neutral in register

  • thwart

    similar register to balk; implies intentional opposition

  • hamper

    suggests making progress difficult rather than stopping it completely

Antonyms
  • aid

    to help or support someone in achieving something

  • facilitate

    to make a process easier or smoother

Grammar Patterns

balk + noun phrase

be balked by + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense is formal and less common in everyday speech. A more frequent alternative is 'block', 'hinder', or 'obstruct'. Frequently used in passive constructions.

Common Mistakes

The rain balked us from going outside.
The rain prevented us from going outside.
'balk' is not followed by 'from + gerund'; use 'prevent.'

balk — noun

IPA/bɔːk/
KK[bˈɑlk]IPA/bɑːlk/

Word family

  • balky
    adjectiveC2
  • balkingly
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe reluctance, but they differ in strength and style. 'Hesitate' is the mildest and most common — it means pausing briefly before acting, often from doubt rather than firm refusal ('She hesitated before answering the question'). 'Balk' is stronger: it implies active unwillingness and often a clear refusal to proceed, especially when the speaker faces something costly, dangerous, or morally troubling ('The committee balked at the expense'). 'Resist' suggests ongoing opposition, not just a refusal to start ('Residents resisted the new development for years'). 'Draw the line' is an idiom that sets a boundary based on principle ('I draw the line at lying to clients'). In everyday use, balk sits between hesitation and outright resistance — it describes the moment of refusal but doesn't imply sustained opposition.

hesitate ↗balk ↗resist ↗draw the line ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • balk decision
  • balk call
  • balk rule

Adverbs

  • abruptly balk
  • immediately balk
  • openly balk
  • repeatedly balk

Phrases

  • to balk at the idea
  • to commit a balk
  • called for a balk

Prepositions

  • balk at
  • balk over
  • a balk to

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The word 'balk' comes from Old English 'balca', meaning a ridge or unplowed strip of land left between fields as a boundary. This image of a ridge that stops the plow gave rise to the verb sense 'to stop or refuse to go on'. The building sense ('a wooden beam') comes from the same root — an unplowed ridge and a wooden beam both share the idea of a long, raised barrier. The baseball sense appeared in the mid-1800s, describing a pitcher's illegal stop during the throwing motion.

First known use

15th century

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