- (v.i.) A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside.
- (v.t.) To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk.
- (v.i.) A great beam, rafter or timber; especially, the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks.".
- (v.i.) To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition.
- (v.i.) To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.
- (v.t.) To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to /hwart; as, to balk expectation.
- (v.i.) A hindrance or disappointment; a check.
- (v.i.) To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.
- (v.i.) A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.
- (v.t.) To leave or make balks in.
- (v.i.) A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball.
- (v.i.) One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.
- (v.t.) To omit, miss or overlook by chance.
- (v.t.) To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). balk. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/balk/definitions/1978038 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "balk" http://smartdefine.org/balk/definitions/1978038 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, balk, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/balk/definitions/1978038>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "balk" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/balk/definitions/1978038> |