What does "balk" mean?
An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.
Balk
/bɔːk/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.
- Grammar: balk is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hindrance, impediment, argue, arrest.
- Useful contrasts: advance, advancement, continue.
- Usage evidence: RushmoreDrive.Com President and CEO Johnny Taylor is pleased with the feedback he's gotten since the website's launch early this year. Still, some critics balk at the idea of a race-based search engine. Isn't that "discrimination," they ask? Taylor's response: diversity is a cornerstone of the American marketplace.
How to use "balk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "balk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "balk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "balk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "balk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "balk" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hindrance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "balk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An uncultivated ridge formed in the open field system, caused by the action of ploughing.
"How fruitfull are the ſeeming Barren places of Scripture. Bad Plow-men, which make Balkes of ſuch Ground."
- 2 A small brass ornament fixed at the top of a wand. UK, dialectal
- 3 an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base wordnet
- 4 The wall of earth at the edge of an excavation.
- 5 one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 Beam, crossbeam; squared timber; a tie beam of a house, stretching from wall to wall, especially when laid so as to form a loft, "the balks".
- 7 something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress wordnet
- 8 A hindrance or disappointment; a check.
", "Concealment of Sin" a balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker"
- 9 the area on a billiard table behind the balkline wordnet
- 10 A sudden and obstinate stop.
- 11 An omission. obsolete
- 12 A deceptive motion.; An illegal motion by the pitcher, intended to deceive a runner.
- 13 A deceptive motion.; A motion used to deceive the opponent during a serve.
- 14 The area of the table lying behind the line from which the cue ball is initially shot, and from which a ball in hand must be played.
- 15 The area of the table lying behind the baulk line.
- 16 The rope by which fishing nets are fastened together.
Verb
- 1 To pass over or by. archaic
- 2 refuse to comply wordnet
- 3 To omit, miss, or overlook by chance.
- 4 To miss intentionally; to avoid. obsolete
"Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat."
- 5 To stop, check, block; to hinder, impede.
"Balked for the second time, the passion of his grief had found another outlet, was transformed into a passion of agonized rage."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To stop short and refuse to go on.
"The horse balked."
- 7 To refuse suddenly.
"Real affection, it seemed, he could not have for me; it had been only fitful passion: that was balked; he would want me no more"
- 8 To disappoint; to frustrate.
"to balk expectation"
- 9 To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition.
"Her list in strifull termes with him to balke"
- 10 To leave or make balks in.
"But so well halt no man the plough, / That he ne balketh other while"
- 11 To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles.
"Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights, / Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see."
- 12 To make a deceptive motion to deceive another player. intransitive
"The best advice you can receive regarding balking is to always maintain poise and composure on the mound."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"RushmoreDrive.Com President and CEO Johnny Taylor is pleased with the feedback he's gotten since the website's launch early this year. Still, some critics balk at the idea of a race-based search engine. Isn't that "discrimination," they ask? Taylor's response: diversity is a cornerstone of the American marketplace."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "balk"?
Common synonyms include: hindrance, impediment, argue, arrest, avert, back down.
How do you use "balk" in a sentence?
RushmoreDrive.Com President and CEO Johnny Taylor is pleased with the feedback he's gotten since the website's launch early this year. Still, some critics balk at the idea of a race-based search engine. Isn't that "discrimination," they ask? Taylor's response: diversity is a cornerstone of the American marketplace.
How do you pronounce "balk"?
Pronounced /bɔːk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English balke, from Old English balca, either from or influenced by Old Norse bálkr (“partition, ridge of land”), from Proto-Germanic *balkô. Cognate with Dutch balk (“balk”), German Balken (“balk”), Italian balcone (“balcony”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English balok, ballok (“knob”), from Old English bealluc (“testicle”, literally “little ball”). Doublet of ballock and bollocks.