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backstroke

[ bak-strohk ]
/ ˈbækˌstroʊk /
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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.
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Origin of backstroke

First recorded in 1665–75; back2 + stroke1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use backstroke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for backstroke

backstroke
/ (ˈbækˌstrəʊk) /

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
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