Balk meaning, definition and synonyms

1. Verb

A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside.

A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks."

One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.

A hindrance or disappointment; a check.

A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.

A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball.

To leave or make balks in.

To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles.

To omit, miss, or overlook by chance.

To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk.

To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to /hwart; as, to balk expectation.

To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition.

To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.

To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.

the area on a billiard table behind the balkline; "a player with ball in hand must play from the balk"

Vocabulary classified under Mathematics

one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof

Vocabulary classified under Engineering

something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

Vocabulary classified under Environmental science