balk
balk Lexical Profile
balk Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To hesitate, recoil, or refuse to proceed or comply with an idea, task, or demand (often followed by 'at').
"Many prospective buyers balked at the steep asking price for the fixer-upper property."
To stop short abruptly and stubbornly refuse to go forward (especially of a horse or pack animal).
"The nervous mare balked just before the wooden bridge and refused to take another step."
To thwart, foil, or hinder a person, plan, or effort.
"Torrential rains balked the mountaineers' attempt to reach the summit before nightfall."
• noun
An illegal pitching motion in baseball, such as stopping mid-delivery or failing to pause during a set position, that entitles base runners to advance one base.
"The umpire called a balk on the rookie pitcher after he flinched on the mound, allowing the runner on third to score."
A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or a roughly squared timber beam used in construction.
"Heavy oak balks were laid across the foundation to support the weight of the historic warehouse floor."
A check, hindrance, or sudden frustration of a plan or action.
"The unexpected budget freeze proved to be a serious balk to our research department's expansion plans."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, this word is often spelled 'baulk', though 'balk' is standard in American English and in baseball terminology worldwide. As an intransitive verb meaning to hesitate, it is almost always followed by the preposition 'at' (e.g., 'balk at the price').
• Rhymes for balk
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Old English 'balca', meaning a ridge of unplowed land left between furrows or a wooden beam, from Proto-Germanic '*balkon'. The figurative sense of stopping short or hesitating arose from the image of a horse stumbling over or refusing to cross a ridge or timber barrier.