Definitions for balk
bɔkbalk

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. balk, baulknoun

   the area on a billiard table behind the balkline

   "a player with ball in hand must play from the balk"

2. hindrance, hinderance, deterrent, impediment, balk, baulk, check, handicapnoun

   something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress

3. rafter, balk, baulknoun

   one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof

4. balkverb

   an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base

5. resist, balk, baulk, jibverb

   refuse to comply

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. balknoun

   ridge, an unplowed strip of land. (One use is to walk on it.)

2. balknoun

   beam, crossbeam.

3. balknoun

   hindrance.

4. balknoun

   blunder.

5. balknoun

   deceptive motion; feint

6. balkverb

   to pass over or by.

7. balkverb

   to stop, check, block.

8. balkverb

   to stop short and refuse to go on.

9. balkverb

   to refuse suddenly.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Balknoun

   A great beam, such as is used in building; a rafter over an outhouse or barn.

   Etymology: balk , Dut. and Germ.

2. Balknoun

   A ridge of land left unploughed between the furrows, or at the end of the field.

   Etymology: derived by Skinner from valicare, Ital. to pass over.

3. To Balkverb

   1. To disappoint; to frustrate.

   Another thing in the grammar schools I see no use of, unless it be to balk young lads in the way to learning languages. John Locke.

   Every one has a desire to keep up the vigour of his faculties, and not to balk his understanding by what is too hard for it. John Locke.

   But one may balk this good intent,
   And take things otherwise than meant. Matthew Prior.

   The prices must have been high; for a people so rich would not balk their fancy. John Arbuthnot, on Coins.

   Balk’d of his prey, the yelling monster flies,
   And fills the city with his hideous cries. Alexander Pope, Odyssey.

   Is there a variance? enter but his door,
   Balk’d are the courts, and contest is no more. Alexander Pope.

   2. To miss any thing.

   By grisly Pluto he doth swear,
   He rent his clothes, and tore his hair;
   And as he runneth here and there,
   An acorn cup he greeteth;
   Which soon he taketh by the stalk,
   About his head he lets it walk,
   Nor doth he any creature balk,
   But lays on all he meeteth. Michael Drayton, Nymphid.

   3. To omit, or refuse any thing.

   This was looked for at your hand, and this was balkt. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

   4. To heap, as on a ridge. This, or something like this, seems to be intended here.

   Ten thousand bold Scots, three and twenty knights,
   Balk’d in their own blood, did Sir Walter see
   On Holmedon’s plains. William Shakespeare, Henry IV.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Balk

   In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules that govern professional play in the United States and Canada, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded. Under other rule sets, notably in the United States under the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS Baseball Rules), a balk results in an immediate dead ball. In the event a balk is enforced, the pitch is generally (but not always) nullified, each runner is awarded one base, and the batter (generally) remains at bat, and with the previous count. The balk rule in Major League Baseball was introduced in 1898.The reason a balk is prohibited is given in the Official Baseball Rules: "Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner."

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. balk

   A balk is a hesitation or unwillingness to accept an idea, task, or take action due to certain reasons such as fear or objection. It also refers to an illegal motion in baseball made by a pitcher to deceive the batter or runner.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Balkverb

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

2. Balkverb

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

3. Balkverb

   one of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge

4. Balkverb

   a hindrance or disappointment; a check

5. Balkverb

   a sudden and obstinate stop; a failure

6. Balkverb

   a deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball

7. Balkverb

   to leave or make balks in

8. Balkverb

   to leave heaped up; to heap up in piles

9. Balkverb

   to omit, miss, or overlook by chance

10. Balkverb

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

11. Balkverb

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

12. Balkverb

    to engage in contradiction; to be in opposition

13. Balkverb

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

14. Balkverb

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

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Balk

   In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve a pitcher pretending to pitch when he has no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball Rules, a balk results in a dead ball or delayed dead ball. In certain other circumstances, a balk may be wholly or partially disregarded. Under other rule sets, notably in the United States under the National Federation of High Schools Baseball Rules, a balk results in an immediate dead ball. In the event a balk is enforced, the pitch is generally nullified, each runner is awarded one base, and the batter remains at bat, and with the previous count. The balk rule in Major League Baseball was introduced in 1898.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Balk

   Baulk, bawk, n. a ridge left unploughed, intentionally or through carelessness: (obs.) an omission: squared timber: a tie-beam of a house, stretching from wall to wall, esp. when laid so as to form a loft, 'the balks:' (obs.) the beam of a balance: the rope by which fishing-nets are fastened together: a hindrance or disappointment.—v.t. to ignore, pass over: refuse: avoid: let slip: to check, disappoint, or elude: to meet arguments with objections.—v.i. to swerve, pull up: (Spens.) lie out of the way.—n. Balk′-line, in billiards, a line drawn across the table 28½ inches from the face of the bottom cushion—a ball is said to be in balk when within this space. [A.S. balca, ridge; Old High Ger. balcho.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. balk

   Straight young trees after they are felled and squared; a beam or timber used for temporary purposes, and under 8 inches square. Balks, of timber of any squared size, as mahogany, intended for planks, or, when very large, for booms or rafts.

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. BALK

   What does BALK stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the BALK acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. BALK

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Balk is ranked #9991 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Balk surname appeared 3,228 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Balk.
   
   66.6% or 2,151 total occurrences were White.
   28.7% or 929 total occurrences were Asian.
   2.3% or 76 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   1.4% or 48 total occurrences were of two or more races.

Matched Categories

1. • Area
   • Beam
   • Billiard Table
   • Difficulty

How to pronounce balk?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say balk in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of balk in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of balk in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of balk in a Sentence

1. Edith Sitwell:

   I'm not the man to balk at a low smell, I not the man to insist on asphodel. This sounds like a He-fellow, don't you think? It sounds like that. I belch, I bawl, I drink.

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