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balk
- pronunciation:
- bawk
- parts of speech:
- intransitive verb, transitive verb, noun
| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| inflections: |
balked, balking, balks |
| definition 1: |
to stop suddenly and refuse to proceed.
The horse balked at the unfamiliar gate.- synonyms:
- hesitate, pause, stop
- similar words:
- blench, evade, flinch, halt, refuse
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| definition 2: |
to refuse or be unwilling to do some act (usu. fol. by at).
My son is balking at doing his chores.- synonyms:
- evade, resist, shirk, shrink from, steer clear of
- similar words:
- dodge, refuse, stall
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| definition 3: |
in baseball, to commit a balk.
- similar words:
- fake, feint
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| related words: |
decline, demur, hesitate, hinder, prevent, shrink, shy |
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| definition: |
to block the progress of; hinder; impede.
The committee's work was balked by his constant objections.- synonyms:
- check, frustrate, hinder, impede, stop, stymie
- antonyms:
- assist, forward
- similar words:
- bar, bilk, block, defeat, disappoint, eschew, foil, obstruct, prevent, stall, thwart
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| related words: |
dash |
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| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
anything that blocks or stops forward progress; hindrance; defeat.
The president's veto was a balk to the proposed law.- synonyms:
- defeat, hindrance, obstacle
- similar words:
- bar, check, drawback, impediment, obstruction
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| definition 2: |
in baseball, an unpermitted, usu. deceptive, motion by a pitcher with one or more runners on base.
- similar words:
- fake, feint
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| definition 3: |
a heavy beam or timber used in building construction.
- synonyms:
- beam, timber
- similar words:
- rafter, two-by-four
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| derivations: |
balkingly (adv.), balker (n.) |
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