sidestroke

American  

[sahyd-strohk] / ˈsaɪdˌstroʊk /

noun

1. a stroke in which the body is turned sideways in the water, the hands pull alternately, and the legs perform a scissors kick.

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verb (used without object)

sidestroked, sidestroking

1. to swim the sidestroke.

sidestroke British  

/ ˈsaɪdˌstrəʊk /

noun

1. a type of swimming stroke in which the swimmer lies sideways in the water paddling with his arms and making a scissors kick with his legs

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Etymology

Origin of sidestroke

First recorded in 1750–60; side ¹ + stroke ¹

Example Sentences

He was the lifeguard; she, the big-eyed beauty with long dark hair and a mean sidestroke.

From New York Times • Sep. 5, 2019

He told me to swim 200 meters alternating between the breaststroke, the sidestroke, the backstroke, and the crawl.

From Slate • Jun. 13, 2013

When the yacht anchored in Delaware Bay he went swimming, employing a sedate sidestroke which enabled him to keep his glasses unsplashed.

From Time Magazine Archive

There he donned a pair of trunks and splashed in the coral-green waters, using the peculiar head-out-of-water stroke he calls the "Missouri sidestroke."

From Time Magazine Archive

I ’spected Lizabeth to tell me to get right on out her house, but then she said something that made the world turn backwards and do the sidestroke.

From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles