Definition of "baulk"

'And am I to plunge a harpoon into that beast!' 'That's your privilege, my son,' said Malone, 'and, sad to relate, unless I give it a miss in baulk, I shall have to be at your side when you do it.'

1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed‎

What made those holes and rents / In the dock's harsh swarth leaves, bruised as to baulk / All hope of greenness?

1855, Robert Browning, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, section XII

As he talked, slowly, quietly, I had the impression that it must surely be an accident that had happened, but that his mind, unhinged by tragedy, baulked at Anna’s death.

1952, Daphne du Maurier, “Monte Verità”, in The Apple Tree

What wasn't done was the second part of the work to add Piccadilly's two new through platforms. The Department for Transport baulked at Network Rail's price, but nonetheless May 2018's timetable increased services to 15tph. Punctuality dropped.

2020 January 2, Philip Haigh, “Is there relief to congestion along Castlefield Corridor?”, in Rail, page 22

Colleagues and confidants describe Yaccarino as a conservative. But when I ask about her personal politics, she baulks.

2023 September 30, Hannah Murphy, “The wildest job in Silicon Valley”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 18