breaststroke

American  

[brest-strohk, bres-] / ˈbrɛstˌstroʊk, ˈbrɛs- /

noun

breaststrokes plural

1. Swimming. a stroke made in the prone position, in which both hands move simultaneously forward, outward, and rearward from in front of the chest while the legs move in a frog kick.

---

verb (used without object)

breaststroked, breaststroking

1. to swim using the breaststroke.

breaststroke British  

/ ˈbrɛstˌstrəʊk /

noun

1. a swimming stroke in which the arms are extended in front of the head and swept back on either side while the legs are drawn up beneath the body and thrust back together

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• breaststroker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• breaststrokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of breaststroke

First recorded in 1865–70; breast + stroke ¹

Explanation

The breaststroke is a swimming style that doesn't require you to turn your head or upper body. When you swim the breaststroke, your arms and legs make frog-like movements through the water. Many recreational swimmers use the breaststroke, which keeps you on your chest, popping your head straight up to take a breath between strokes. It's also the slowest competitive swimming stroke, but it still requires powerfully strong shoulders and arms. The frog kick part of the breaststroke propels you forward under water, and the arm movement happens as you come up for air.

Example Sentences

Each form or shadow is constructed from a brushstroke, introducing the artist’s hand into the cold machinery of camera work.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

The 1991 self-portrait by Patrick Procktor, who died in 2003, shows him holding a paintbrush aloft and appearing to think about where to place his next brushstroke.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2024

The collection was called Pennellate, which means brushstroke, and was made by adding colored opaque glass to the vase as it was blown.

From Washington Times • Dec. 21, 2023

Later, she would scrape patterns into the “abstract” image, creating what looks like wood grain or that Lichtenstein brushstroke.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2023

I only knew the memory lived in me, a perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas that our lives had become.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini