balked

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When insurers balked, the company turned around and billed patients’ families, dragging them into financial and legal turmoil and disrupting care for their disabled children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Then there is the question of cost: A decade ago, health plans balked at paying for powerful new cholesterol-lowering drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors because of pricing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Fans have more recently balked at the cost of a seat at a match.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

Some balked when Nolen began talking about passing zoning rules, she said.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

A Seattle doctor had suggested sympathetic denervation of the limb—doing away with its ability to feel—but Ishmael had balked for unfathomable reasons.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson