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Balk, Baulk, and Bulk
What Is the Difference between "Balk," "Baulk," and "Bulk"?
"Balk," "baulk," and "bulk" are easy to confuse.- "Balk" (most commonly seen as "to balk at") means "to be unwilling to" or "to take exception to." For example:
- He balked at presenting his idea to the company.
(
)
- "Baulk" is the British English version of "balk."
- He baulked at presenting his idea to the company.
(
)
- "Bulk" means "a large mass or quantity." It also means "the greater part of something." For example:
- He gets his bulk from eating chicken.
- I made the bulk of the payment this afternoon.
- I don't ever balk at being considered a Motown person because Motown is the greatest musical event that ever happened in the history of music.
(Singer Smokey Robinson)
- Presidents with strong nerves are decisive. They don't balk at unpopular decisions. They are willing to make people angry.
(Singer Fred Barnes)
- A beam of timber that has been roughly squared.
- An unlawful action by a baseball pitcher to deceive a base runner.
- An unploughed ridge between furrows.
- An area on a billiard table.
- A miss or a failure.
- Those who live outside of London baulk at the cost of living.
(
)
- I approached the bulk of my schoolwork as a chore rather than an intellectual adventure.
(Physicist Steven Chu)
- The mind is like an iceberg. It floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.
(Sigmund Freud)
(Here, "bulk" is a noun.)
- For the last 10 years, I have had to bulk up for roles. As I'm naturally skinny, I have eaten many chickens!
(Actor Hugh Jackman)
(Here, "bulk" is a verb.)
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To Balk At
The verb "to balk" (which is nearly always paired with the preposition "at") means to be unwilling to or to take exception to.Example sentences with "balk":
Baulk
"Baulk" is a British spelling of "balk." Most Canadians prefer "balk," while most Australians prefer "baulk."Example sentences with "baulk":
Bulk
The noun "bulk" describes a large mass or the greater quantity of something. It can also be used as verb meaning to make something bigger. As a verb, it is usually paired with the preposition "up."Example sentences with "bulk":
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