balk

Word family

Related topics: Baseball

balk (also baulk British English) /bɔːk, bɔːlk $ bɒːk, bɒːlk/ verb

1 [intransitiveI]NOT DO something to not want to do or try something, because it seems difficult, unpleasant, or frightening 畏缩不前，犹豫

balk at

Many people would balk at setting up a new business during a recession.

经济衰退的时候，许多人都不愿开新公司。

Westerners balk at the prospect of snake on the menu.

想到菜单上可能有蛇肉菜肴，西方人就会犹豫回避。

2. [intransitiveI] if a horse balks at a fence, it stops in front of it and refuses to jump over it 〔马在障碍物前〕突然止步，拒绝跳跃

3. [intransitiveI] American EnglishAmEDSB in baseball, to stop in the middle of the action of throwing the ball to the player who is trying to hit it 〔棒球投手在投球时〕做假动作，佯投

4. [transitiveT] formalSTOP something THAT IS HAPPENING to stop someone or something from getting or achieving what they want 阻止，妨碍

Examples from the Corpus

balk• At first, officials in both countries balked.• They are likely to balk at antiabortion legislation.• And then only because he, Verisof, had balked at further appeasement.• And last month, he balked at submitting to an examination by government-appointed psychiatrists.• People may well balk at this and never return to your site again.• As it was he balked, both forefeet thrust stiffly in front of him, jarring me to the bone.• Industry executives balked for years at the idea of program ratings, fearing a loss of advertising dollars.• He balked slightly at that, then he tucked the tenners down his gauntlet and handed it over.• Their strategies to balk the enemy had failed.

balk at• Several of the managers balked at enforcing the decision.

Origin balk

(1400-1500) balk “raised area that gets in the way of forward movement” ((15-21 centuries)), from Old English balca “pile of things on the ground”

balk verb

Chinese

Corpus