balked
Stopped short suddenly
Balked is the past tense of balk, meaning to stop short and refuse to proceed.
A horse balks at a fence it won't jump; a person balks at a request they find unreasonable: She balked at signing the contract without reading it.
In baseball, a pitcher balks by making an illegal motion that deceives baserunners.
Temporary cessation of activity
- waverHesitate or fluctuate
- falterLose momentum or steadiness
- hesitatePause in uncertainty
- ditherNervous inability to choose
vacillate · second-guess · hold back · pull back · freeze · teeter · shy away · hang back
pause
Temporary cessation of activity
dither · vacillate · second-guess · hold back · pull back · freeze · teeter · shy away · hang back · stop short
thwarted
Prevented from succeeding
- foiledPrevented from succeeding
- frustratedAnnoyed by obstacles
- blockedPassage prevented or impeded
impeded · hindered · hampered · stymied · prevented · derailed · checked · stopped · halted · obstructed
reject
Dismiss as unsuitable
spurn · rebuff · dismiss · deny · withhold · object · protest · dig in · stand firm · push back
- surrenderedsurrendered, capitulated, yielded, conceded, submitted