Balk Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

a crossbeam in the roof of a house that unites and supports the rafters; tie beam.

any heavy timber used for building purposes.

Baseball

.

an illegal motion by a pitcher while one or more runners are on base, as a pitch in which there is either an insufficient or too long a pause after the windup or stretch, a pretended throw to first or third base or to the batter with one foot on the pitcher’s rubber, etc., resulting in a penalty advancing the runner or runners one base.

Billiards

.

any of the eight panels or compartments lying between the cushions of the table and the balklines

Obsolete

.

a miss, slip, or failure:

to make a balk.