masterstroke

or mas·ter stroke

[ mas-ter-strohk, mah-ster- ]
See synonyms for masterstroke on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a masterly action or achievement; an extremely skillful or effective action: War was avoided by a masterstroke of diplomacy.

Origin of masterstroke

1
First recorded in 1670–80; master + stroke1

Words Nearby masterstroke

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use masterstroke in a sentence

  • And he was also capable of the masterstroke of impudence—putting out a pickup order, through Spaceforce, for his own name!

    The Door Through Space | Marion Zimmer Bradley
  • Oedipus by a masterstroke of art is made to imagine that she has departed in shame, fearing he may be proved the son of a slave.

    Authors of Greece | T. W. Lumb
  • It was not a scheme generated in his teeming brain, like the strategy of a campaign, or a masterstroke of diplomacy.

    Terre Napoleon | Ernest Scott
  • But the great Frenchman's masterstroke was his treaty with Gustavus Adolphus.

  • When Fanny returned with your letter this morning, I prepared for a masterstroke.

    Great Porter Square, v. 3 | Benjamin Leopold Farjeon

British Dictionary definitions for masterstroke

masterstroke

/ (ˈmɑːstəˌstrəʊk) /


noun
  1. an outstanding piece of strategy, skill, talent, etc: your idea is a masterstroke

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012