n. | 1. | A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside. |
| 2. | A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks." |
| 3. | (Mil.) One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge. |
| 4. | A hindrance or disappointment; a check. |
| 5. | A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure. |
| 6. | (Baseball) A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball. It is illegal and is penalized by allowing the runners on base to advance one base. |
v. t. | 1. | To leave or make balks in. |
| 2. | To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles. |
| 3. | To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. |
| 4. | To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk. |
| 5. | To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to thwart; as, to balk expectation. |
v. i. | 1. | To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition. |
| 2. | To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks. |
| 3. | (Baseball) to commit a balk{6}; - of a pitcher. |
| 1. | To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring. |