| balk | | |
| n. (location) | 1. balk, baulk | the area on a billiard table behind the balkline.; "a player with ball in hand must play from the balk" |
| ~ billiard table, pool table, snooker table | game equipment consisting of a heavy table on which pool is played. |
| ~ surface area, expanse, area | the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary.; "the area of a rectangle"; "it was about 500 square feet in area" |
| n. (cognition) | 2. balk, baulk, check, deterrent, handicap, hinderance, hindrance, impediment | something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress. |
| ~ difficulty | a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result.; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent" |
| ~ albatross, millstone | (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps.; "she was an albatross around his neck" |
| ~ bind | something that hinders as if with bonds. |
| ~ diriment impediment | (canon law) an impediment that invalidates a marriage (such as the existence of a prior marriage). |
| ~ drag | something that slows or delays progress.; "taxation is a drag on the economy"; "too many laws are a drag on the use of new land" |
| ~ obstacle, obstruction | something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted.; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan" |
| ~ straitjacket | anything immaterial that severely hinders or confines.; "they defected because Russian dance was in a straitjacket"; "the government is operating in an economic straitjacket" |
| n. (artifact) | 3. balk, baulk, rafter | one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof. |
| ~ beam | long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction. |
| n. (act) | 4. balk | an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base. |
| ~ pitch, delivery | (baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter. |
| v. (social) | 5. balk, baulk, jib, resist | refuse to comply. |
| ~ disobey | refuse to go along with; refuse to follow; be disobedient.; "He disobeyed his supervisor and was fired" |
| decline | | |
| n. (process) | 1. decline, diminution | change toward something smaller or lower. |
| ~ decrease, decrement | a process of becoming smaller or shorter. |
| ~ decline in quality, worsening, declension, deterioration | process of changing to an inferior state. |
| ~ detumescence | diminution of swelling; the subsidence of anything swollen. |
| ~ ebb, ebbing, wane | a gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number). |
| ~ erosion | a gradual decline of something.; "after the accounting scandal there was an erosion of confidence in the auditors" |
| ~ loss | gradual decline in amount or activity.; "weight loss"; "a serious loss of business" |
| ~ nosedive | a sudden sharp drop or rapid decline.; "the stock took a nosedive" |
| ~ sinking spell | a temporary decline in health or value. |
| ~ slippage | decline from a standard level of performance or achievement. |
| n. (state) | 2. declination, decline | a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state. |
| ~ condition, status | a state at a particular time.; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations" |
| ~ disuse, neglect | the state of something that has been unused and neglected.; "the house was in a terrible state of neglect" |
| ~ twilight | a condition of decline following successes.; "in the twilight of the empire" |
| ~ wreck | something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation.; "the house was a wreck when they bought it"; "thanks to that quack I am a human wreck" |
| n. (process) | 3. decay, decline | a gradual decrease; as of stored charge or current. |
| ~ decrease, decrement | a process of becoming smaller or shorter. |
| ~ exponential decay, exponential return | a decrease that follows an exponential function. |
| n. (object) | 4. declension, declination, decline, declivity, descent, downslope, fall | a downward slope or bend. |
| ~ downhill | the downward slope of a hill. |
| ~ incline, slope, side | an elevated geological formation.; "he climbed the steep slope"; "the house was built on the side of a mountain" |
| ~ steep | a steep place (as on a hill). |
| v. (change) | 5. decline, worsen | grow worse.; "Conditions in the slum worsened" |
| ~ inflame | become inflamed; get sore.; "His throat inflamed" |
| ~ sicken, come down | get sick.; "She fell sick last Friday, and now she is in the hospital" |
| ~ degenerate, deteriorate, devolve, drop | grow worse.; "Her condition deteriorated"; "Conditions in the slums degenerated"; "The discussion devolved into a shouting match" |
| ~ change state, turn | undergo a transformation or a change of position or action.; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" |
| ~ impoverish, deprive | take away. |
| ~ fail | get worse.; "Her health is declining" |
| ~ tumble | suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat. |
| ~ drop away, fall away, slip, drop off | get worse.; "My grades are slipping" |
| ~ suffer | get worse.; "His grades suffered" |
| ~ lose, suffer | be set at a disadvantage.; "This author really suffers in translation" |
| ~ retrogress, regress, retrograde | get worse or fall back to a previous condition. |
| ~ turn down | take a downward direction.; "The economy finally turned down after a long boom" |
| v. (possession) | 6. decline, pass up, refuse, reject, turn down | refuse to accept.; "He refused my offer of hospitality" |
| ~ freeze off, spurn, disdain, pooh-pooh, scorn, turn down, reject | reject with contempt.; "She spurned his advances" |
| ~ dishonor, dishonour | refuse to accept.; "dishonor checks and drafts" |
| ~ bounce | refuse to accept and send back.; "bounce a check" |
| v. (communication) | 7. decline, refuse | show unwillingness towards.; "he declined to join the group on a hike" |
| ~ react, respond | show a response or a reaction to something. |
| ~ freeze off, spurn, disdain, pooh-pooh, scorn, turn down, reject | reject with contempt.; "She spurned his advances" |
| ~ contract out | refuse to pay a levy to a union for political use. |
| ~ regret | decline formally or politely.; "I regret I can't come to the party" |
| ~ repudiate | refuse to recognize or pay.; "repudiate a debt" |
| ~ disobey | refuse to go along with; refuse to follow; be disobedient.; "He disobeyed his supervisor and was fired" |
| v. (change) | 8. decline, go down, wane | grow smaller.; "Interest in the project waned" |
| ~ decrease, diminish, lessen, fall | decrease in size, extent, or range.; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" |
| ~ dip | go down momentarily.; "Prices dipped" |
| ~ wear on | pass slowly (of time).; "The day wore on" |
| ~ drop | go down in value.; "Stock prices dropped" |
| v. (motion) | 9. decline | go down.; "The roof declines here" |
| ~ drop | to fall vertically.; "the bombs are dropping on enemy targets" |
| ~ sink, dip | appear to move downward.; "The sun dipped below the horizon"; "The setting sun sank below the tree line" |
| v. (motion) | 10. correct, decline, slump | go down in value.; "the stock market corrected"; "prices slumped" |
| ~ come down, descend, go down, fall | move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way.; "The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is falling"; "The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went up and then fell again" |
| v. (communication) | 11. decline | inflect for number, gender, case, etc.,.; "in many languages, speakers decline nouns, pronouns, and adjectives" |
| ~ inflect | change the form of a word in accordance as required by the grammatical rules of the language. |
| refrain | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. chorus, refrain | the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers. |
| ~ music | an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner. |
| ~ song, vocal | a short musical composition with words.; "a successful musical must have at least three good songs" |
| ~ tra-la, tra-la-la | a set of nonsensical syllables used while humming a refrain. |
| v. (stative) | 2. forbear, refrain | resist doing something.; "He refrained from hitting him back"; "she could not forbear weeping" |
| ~ leave alone, leave behind, leave | leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking.; "leave it as is"; "leave the young fawn alone"; "leave the flowers that you see in the park behind" |
| ~ let it go | not act.; "He thought of a reply but let it go" |
| ~ abstain | refrain from voting. |
| ~ spare, save | refrain from harming. |
| ~ forbear, hold back | refrain from doing.; "she forbore a snicker" |
| ~ help oneself, help | abstain from doing; always used with a negative.; "I can't help myself--I have to smoke"; "She could not help watching the sad spectacle" |
| ~ stand by | not act or do anything.; "He just stood by when the police beat up the demonstrators" |
| ~ sit out | not participate in (an activity, such as a dance or a sports event).; "He sat out the game" |
| v. (consumption) | 3. abstain, desist, refrain | choose not to consume.; "I abstain from alcohol" |
| ~ fast | abstain from eating.; "Before the medical exam, you must fast" |
| ~ fast | abstain from certain foods, as for religious or medical reasons.; "Catholics sometimes fast during Lent" |
| ~ keep off, avoid | refrain from certain foods or beverages.; "I keep off drugs"; "During Ramadan, Muslims avoid tobacco during the day" |
| ~ teetotal | practice teetotalism and abstain from the consumption of alcoholic beverages. |
| refuse | | |
| n. (substance) | 1. food waste, garbage, refuse, scraps | food that is discarded (as from a kitchen). |
| ~ waste, waste material, waste matter, waste product | any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted.; "they collect the waste once a week"; "much of the waste material is carried off in the sewers" |
| v. (stative) | 2. defy, refuse, resist | elude, especially in a baffling way.; "This behavior defies explanation" |
| ~ beggar | be beyond the resources of.; "This beggars description!" |
| ~ elude, escape | be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by.; "What you are seeing in him eludes me" |
| v. (possession) | 3. deny, refuse | refuse to let have.; "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance" |
| ~ keep, hold on | retain possession of.; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" |
| ~ abnegate, deny | deny oneself (something); restrain, especially from indulging in some pleasure.; "She denied herself wine and spirits" |
| ~ withhold, keep back | hold back; refuse to hand over or share.; "The father is withholding the allowance until the son cleans his room" |
| v. (stative) | 4. refuse, reject, resist | resist immunologically the introduction of some foreign tissue or organ.; "His body rejected the liver of the donor" |
| ~ react, respond | show a response or a reaction to something. |
| v. (social) | 5. refuse, reject, turn away, turn down | refuse entrance or membership.; "They turned away hundreds of fans"; "Black people were often rejected by country clubs" |
| ~ freeze off, spurn, disdain, pooh-pooh, scorn, turn down, reject | reject with contempt.; "She spurned his advances" |
| withhold | | |
| v. (possession) | 1. keep back, withhold | hold back; refuse to hand over or share.; "The father is withholding the allowance until the son cleans his room" |
| ~ immobilise, immobilize, freeze, block | prohibit the conversion or use of (assets).; "Blocked funds"; "Freeze the assets of this hostile government" |
| ~ deny, refuse | refuse to let have.; "She denies me every pleasure"; "he denies her her weekly allowance" |
| ~ keep to oneself | withhold information.; "I kept your little secret to myself all these years" |
| ~ deny | refuse to grant, as of a petition or request.; "The dean denied the students' request for more physics courses"; "the prisoners were denied the right to exercise for more than 2 hours a day" |
| ~ reserve | hold back or set aside, especially for future use or contingency.; "they held back their applause in anticipation" |
| ~ immobilise, immobilize | hold as reserve or withdraw from circulation; of capital. |
| ~ deprive | keep from having, keeping, or obtaining. |
| v. (possession) | 2. deduct, recoup, withhold | retain and refrain from disbursing; of payments.; "My employer is withholding taxes" |
| ~ keep, hold on | retain possession of.; "Can I keep my old stuffed animals?"; "She kept her maiden name after she married" |
| ~ dock | deduct from someone's wages. |
| no | | |
| n. (communication) | 1. no | a negative.; "his no was loud and clear" |
| ~ negative | a reply of denial.; "he answered in the negative" |
| n. (substance) | 2. atomic number 102, no, nobelium | a radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding curium with carbon ions; 7 isotopes are known. |
| ~ chemical element, element | any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter. |
| adj. | 3. no | quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns for indicating a complete or almost complete lack or zero quantity of.; "we have no bananas"; "no eggs left and no money to buy any"; "have you no decency?"; "did it with no help"; "I'll get you there in no time" |
| ~ nary | (used with singular count nouns) colloquial for `not a' or `not one' or `never a'.; "heard nary a sound" |
| ~ none | not any.; "thou shalt have none other gods before me" |
| ~ zero | having no measurable or otherwise determinable value.; "the goal is zero population growth" |
| adv. | 4. no, no more | referring to the degree to which a certain quality is present.; "he was no heavier than a child" |
| adv. | 5. no | not in any degree or manner; not at all.; "he is no better today" |
| adv. | 6. no | used to express refusal or denial or disagreement etc or especially to emphasize a negative statement.; "no, you are wrong" |
| not | | |
| adv. | 1. non, not | negation of a word or group of words.; "he does not speak French"; "she is not going"; "they are not friends"; "not many"; "not much"; "not at all" |
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