backstroke

[bak-strohk]

noun

a backhanded stroke.
Swimming. a stroke made while on one's back.
a blow or stroke in return; recoil.

verb (used without object), back·stroked, back·strok·ing.

Swimming. to swim the backstroke: She backstroked across the pool.

Origin of backstroke

First recorded in 1665–75; back² + stroke¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for backstroke

Contemporary Examples of backstroke

Watch her steal the show in the 100-meter backstroke Monday.
London Olympics’ Must-See Moments
The Daily Beast Video
August 1, 2012

Historical Examples of backstroke

A backstroke of Gino's oar, however, soon brought the side of the arrested boat to a flight of steps.
The Bravo
J. Fenimore Cooper
Previously to this, the "backstroke" of the steamboat engine was either unknown or not generally known.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 6 of 8
Various
"C" some distance to right of point but on level with "E." The backstroke of the latter nearly touches the point.
The Die Varieties of the Nesbitt Series of United States Envelopes
Victor M. Berthold

British Dictionary definitions for backstroke

backstroke

noun

Also called: back crawl swimming
1. a stroke performed on the back, using backward circular strokes of each arm alternately and flipper movements of the feet
2. (as modifier)the backstroke champion
a return stroke or blow
mainly US a backhanded stroke
bell-ringing the upward movement of the bell rope as the bell swings back and forthCompare handstroke

verb

(intr) to swim the backstroke

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

Word Origin and History for backstroke

1670s, "counter-punch," from back (adj.) + stroke (n.). From 1876 in swimming, from back (n.).