Meaning & use
baulk or balk
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Meanings
verbintransitive
to be unwilling to do something or to refuse suddenly, often because it seems difficult, wrong, or surprising.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at: balk at the price. Baulk is the British spelling and balk is the American spelling.
Patterns
- balk at something
- balk at doing something
- balk at the idea
She balked at paying so much for a simple meal.
The company balked at the cost of the repairs.
He baulked at the idea of moving to another city.
verbintransitive
to stop suddenly and refuse to move forward, especially of a horse.
Grammar: No object; often used of horses or of people who stop suddenly. The British spelling is baulk.
Patterns
- balk at a fence
- the horse balked
The horse balked at the high fence and would not jump.
The mule baulked at the narrow bridge.
nouncountablesportAmerican
in baseball, an illegal movement by a pitcher that lets runners move up a base.
Grammar: Countable: one balk, two balks. This sense is mainly American and used in baseball.
Patterns
- commit a balk
- called for a balk
The pitcher was called for a balk.
A balk allowed the runner to advance to second base.
Word forms
| third person singular | balks |
|---|---|
| past tense | balked |
| past participle | balked |
| -ing form | balking |
| British third person singular | baulks |
| British past tense | baulked |
Common combinations
- balk at the price
- Many customers balk at the price of the new phone.
- balk at doing something
- She balked at signing the contract without reading it.
- balk at the idea
- He balked at the idea of working on weekends.
- horse balks
- The horse balked at the water and refused to cross.
Synonyms and how they differ
- refuse
- Refuse is more general and can take a direct object, e.g. refuse an offer; balk is usually followed by at.
- hesitate
- Hesitate means to pause before acting, while balk suggests a stronger, more definite refusal.
- resist
- Resist means to try to stop something; balk often means you will not even start.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: baulk or balk or bulk? baulk or balk or balk?
baulk or balk vs bulk
Bulk means size or mass, or the main part of something. It sounds similar to balk but has a different meaning.
baulk or balk vs balk
Balk and baulk are the same word with different spellings: balk is American, baulk is British.
Practice
Many people ______ at paying extra for a seat on the plane.
Choose one answer.
Balk is correct because the verb is intransitive here and the preposition at already follows in the sentence. Balk at would repeat the preposition, and balk to and balk for are not used in this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “baulk or balk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.