balked

"The delivery driver balked at the address on the package, realizing he'd been there already that day and was in the wrong neighborhood. "

"The teacher quickly read through the student's answers and balked at a crucial step in the calculation, marking the entire problem wrong despite the mostly correct method. "

"The student balked at answering the difficult question during the exam. "

"The horse balked at the muddy puddle, refusing to cross it. "

"The horse balked."

"The horse balked at the jump and refused to go any further. "

"to balk expectation"

"My sister balked at the idea of cleaning her room, arguing it wasn't necessary. "

"The farmer balked the field, leaving uneven ridges of soil after plowing. "

"After the storm, fallen branches and leaves balked against the fence. "

"The fisherman on the shore balked to the boats, signaling the direction the herring shoal had moved. "