backstroke

[ bak-strohk ]

/ ˈbækˌstroʊk /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of backstroke

First recorded in 1665–75; back² + stroke¹

Words nearby backstroke

backstory, back straight, backstrap loom, back street, backstretch, backstroke, backstroker, backswept, backswimmer, backswing, backsword

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use backstroke in a sentence

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

After this desperate backstroke, as Warburton justly calls it, Macbeth engages in another combat equally sanguinary.
Bentley's Miscellany, Volume II|Various

British Dictionary definitions for backstroke

backstroke

/ (ˈbækˌstrəʊk) /

noun

Also called: back crawl swimming

a stroke performed on the back, using backward circular strokes of each arm alternately and flipper movements of the feet
(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