Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • Stokes
    Stokes
    noun
    Carl B(urton), 1927–1996, U.S. politician: the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city (Cleveland, Ohio, 1967–71).
  • stokes
    stokes
    noun
    the cgs unit of kinematic viscosity, equal to the viscosity of a fluid in poise divided by its density in grams per cubic centimetre. 1 stokes is equivalent to 10 –4 square metre per second

Stokes

American  
[stohks] / stoʊks /

noun

  1. Carl B(urton), 1927–1996, U.S. politician: the first Black mayor of a major U.S. city (Cleveland, Ohio, 1967–71).

  2. Sir Frederick Wilfrid Scott, 1860–1927, British inventor and engineer.

  3. Sir George Gabriel, 1819–1903, British physicist and mathematician, born in Ireland.


stokes British  
/ stəʊks /

noun

  1.  St.  the cgs unit of kinematic viscosity, equal to the viscosity of a fluid in poise divided by its density in grams per cubic centimetre. 1 stokes is equivalent to 10 –4 square metre per second

"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

stokes 1 Scientific  
/ stōks /
  • stokes
    plural
  1. The unit of kinematic viscosity in the centimeter-gram-second system, measured in square centimeters per second.

  2. See more at viscosity


Stokes 2 Scientific  
  1. Irish mathematician and physicist who investigated the wave theory of light and described the phenomena of diffraction (1849) and fluorescence (1852) and the nature of x-rays. He also investigated fluid dynamics, developing the modern theory of motion of viscous fluids. A unit of kinematic viscosity is named for him.


Etymology

Origin of stokes

C20: named after Sir George Stokes (1819–1903), British physicist

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

By the end of his reign, England were characterised by what Stokes said and did.

From BBC Sep. 12, 2026

After Stokes retired following the series defeat by New Zealand a Test later, McCullum was sacked and Root given the captaincy on a full-time basis for a second time.

From BBC Sep. 12, 2026

Root's tactics were often criticised in his first spell as skipper and there were further questions of the Yorkshireman when he stood in for former captain Ben Stokes earlier this summer.

From BBC Sep. 11, 2026

Stokes often said he did not like the word "ruthless" and there were plenty of times his side lacked ruthlessness.

From BBC Sep. 10, 2026

From what I could tell, when Emily had gone to Stokes that afternoon to buy groceries, she had returned home with the wrong crackers for Peter.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

High debt levels can tamp down the value of bonds because it increases their supply and stokes worry about rising inflation.

From MarketWatch Aug. 31, 2026

The European Central Bank is expected to hike interest rates this week for the first time in two and a half years as the Iran war energy shock stokes inflation.

From Barron's Jun. 8, 2026

A pattern emerges: The crowd suspects a problem, then Pangram validates the suspicion, stokes the mob, and sells the solution.

From Slate Apr. 17, 2026

TOKYO—Foreign-exchange markets are back on yen intervention watch, as the worsening conflict in the Middle East stokes anxiety about Japan’s energy-dependent economy.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 23, 2026

“Whoever stokes the fire during the night gets an extra pancake in the morning,” he said.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training