balky

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I jury-rigged a heating element for our Kenmore refrigerator’s balky ice-maker water-feed tube.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Maintaining and fixing a balky machine teaches necessary humility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

There’s an argument to be made that the feds could believe they have a balky case and want to bloody up Adams in the public eye ahead of a trial.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2024

The original May 6 launch was scuttled hours before takeoff due to a balky rocket valve.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2024

They draped these over the balky apparatus and localized the radiation source to Kamen’s fly, which evidently had collected a heavy burden of waste radio-phosphorus from Kamen’s work for John Lawrence.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik