stroke

¹ American  

[strohk] / stroʊk /

noun

1. the act or an instance of striking, as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; a blow.

   Synonyms:

   pat, knock, tap, rap

2. a hitting of or upon anything.

3. a striking of a clapper or hammer, as on a bell.

4. the sound produced by this.

5. a throb or pulsation, as of the heart.

   Synonyms:

   rhythm, thrum, beat

6. Also called apoplexy, cerebrovascular accident.  Pathology. a blockage or hemorrhage of a blood vessel leading to the brain, causing inadequate oxygen supply and, depending on the extent and location of the abnormality, such symptoms as weakness, paralysis of parts of the body, speech difficulties, and, if severe, loss of consciousness or death.

7. something likened to a blow in its effect, as in causing pain, injury, or death; an attack of apoplexy or paralysis.

8. a destructive discharge of lightning.

9. a vigorous movement, as if in dealing a blow.

10. Sports. a hitting of a ball, as by the swing of a racquet in tennis or the controlled jabbing or thrusting with the cue in pool and billiards.

11. a single complete movement, especially one continuously repeated in some process.

12. Machinery.

    1. one of a series of alternating continuous movements of something back and forth over or through the same line.

    2. the complete movement of a moving part, especially a reciprocating part, in one direction.

    3. the distance traversed in such a movement.

    4. a half revolution of an engine during which the piston travels from one extreme of its range to the other.

13. Swimming.

    1. a type or method of swimming.

       The crawl is a rapid stroke.

    2. each of the successive movements of the arms and legs in propelling the body through the water.

14. Rowing.

    1. a single pull of the oar.

    2. the manner or style of moving the oars.

    3. Also called stroke oar.  the crew member nearest to the stern of the boat, to whose strokes those of the other crew members must conform.

15. a movement of a pen, pencil, brush, graver, or the like.

16. a mark traced by or as if by one movement of a pen, pencil, brush, or the like.

17. Chiefly British. virgule.

18. a distinctive or effective touch in a literary composition.

    His style revealed the stroke of a master.

19. a single or minimal act, piece, or amount of work, activity, etc..

    to refuse to do a stroke of work.

20. an attempt to attain some object.

    a bold stroke for liberty.

21. a measure adopted for a particular purpose.

22. a keystroke.

    no more than 65 strokes to the line for business letters.

23. a feat or achievement.

    a stroke of genius.

24. a sudden or chance happening, as of luck or fortune.

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verb (used with object)

stroked, stroking

1. to mark with a stroke or strokes, as of a pen; cancel, as by a stroke of a pen.

2. Rowing.

   1. to row as a stroke oar of (a boat or crew).

   2. to set the stroke for the crew of (a boat).

3. Sports. to hit (a ball), as with a deliberate, smooth swing of a bat or club.

stroke ² American  

[strohk] / stroʊk /

verb (used with object)

stroked, stroking

1. to pass the hand or an instrument over (something or somebody) lightly or with little pressure; rub gently, as in soothing or caressing.

   Synonyms:

   pet, caress

2. Informal. to promote feelings of self-approval in; flatter.

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noun

1. an act or instance of stroking; a stroking movement; caress.

stroke British  

/ strəʊk /

noun

1. the act or an instance of striking; a blow, knock, or hit

2. a sudden action, movement, or occurrence

   a stroke of luck

3. a brilliant or inspired act or feat

   a stroke of genius

4. pathol apoplexy; rupture of a blood vessel in the brain resulting in loss of consciousness, often followed by paralysis, or embolism or thrombosis affecting a cerebral vessel

5. 1. the striking of a clock

   2. the hour registered by the striking of a clock

      on the stroke of three

6. a mark, flourish, or line made by a writing implement

7. another name for solidus, used esp when dictating or reading aloud

8. a light touch or caress, as with the fingers

9. a pulsation, esp of the heart

10. a single complete movement or one of a series of complete movements

11. sport the act or manner of striking the ball with a racket, club, bat, etc

12. any one of the repeated movements used by a swimmer to propel himself through the water

13. a manner of swimming, esp one of several named styles such as the crawl or butterfly

14. 1. any one of a series of linear movements of a reciprocating part, such as a piston

    2. the distance travelled by such a part from one end of its movement to the other

15. a single pull on an oar or oars in rowing

16. manner or style of rowing

17. the oarsman who sits nearest the stern of a shell, facing the cox, and sets the rate of striking for the rest of the crew

18. informal a compliment or comment that enhances a person's self-esteem

19. slang (modifier) pornographic; masturbatory

    stroke magazines

20. (usually used with a negative) a small amount of work

21. performing or working less well than usual

22. punctually at

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verb

1. (tr) to touch, brush, or caress lightly or gently

2. (tr) to mark a line or a stroke on or through

3. to act as the stroke of (a racing shell)

4. (tr) sport to strike (a ball) with a smooth swinging blow

5. informal (tr) to handle or influence (someone) with care, using persuasion, flattery, etc

stroke Scientific  

/ strōk /

1. A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel of the brain, resulting in necrosis of brain tissue (called a cerebral infarct) and characterized by loss of muscular control, weakening or loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of brain damage.

2. Also called cerebrovascular accident

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stroke Cultural  

1. A sudden loss of brain function caused by an interruption in the supply of blood to the brain. A ruptured blood vessel or cerebral thrombosis may cause the stroke, which can occur in varying degrees of severity from temporary paralysis and slurred speech to permanent brain damage and death.

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stroke Idioms  

1. see at one stroke; no accounting for taste (different strokes for different folks); put one off one's stride (stroke).

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Synonym Usage

See blow ¹.

Etymology

Origin of stroke¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun strok(e), stroc, strocke, strak(e), probably continuing unattested Old English strāc (whence strācian ”to stroke”); cognate with German Streich; akin to strike; see also stroke ²

Origin of stroke²

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stroke(n), strake, Old English strācian; cognate with German streichen; akin to strike

Explanation

It's a stroke of luck, or chance event, to find a terrific parking space on a rainy day, but no one feels lucky when their grandfather has a stroke, a sudden debilitating loss of oxygen to the brain. Stroke is a high value word — many meanings, yet rarely misunderstood in context. You can swim a certain stroke (or just doggie paddle), you can stroke a cat's fur, you can figuratively stroke your boss's ego by flattering him, or you can have a stroke of brilliance and solve world hunger. Hopefully you won't suffer a stroke and need hospitalization. Its origin as a medical term goes back to the 1500s when it was shortened from "the Stroke of God's Hand."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stroke stroked stroking

A necropsy found that the dog died of heat stroke, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The 29-year-old's time of 1:56.38 was rapid for four lengths of furious thrashing, each one a different stroke.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Semax: In Russia, this peptide is approved to treat serious issues like stroke or optic-nerve conditions.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

The new statement reviews recent evidence about caffeinated coffee and its possible relationships with high blood pressure, cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, other arrhythmias and other cardiovascular conditions.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Above Ralph the clock began to grind and groan and strike, bong...bong, as if it had to summon strength for each stroke.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Michael Phelps crawl stroked away from his first retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Luke McCowan stroked home the winner after just 28 seconds and played positively, while in the back four Dane Murray, and Marcelo Sarrachi stood out in a gutsy display.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

The Ghanaian stroked in his first Premier League goal in sky blue during a 2-0 win over Wolves after netting in the FA Cup and League Cup on his first two City appearances.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

Pundits who failed to predict the operation in the first place gravely stroked their chins before intoning that the Venezuelan adventure must inevitably fail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026

Afraid to untie or untape her sister for fear of incurring—a word which here means “bringing about”—Count Olaf’s wrath, Violet stroked Sunny’s hair and murmured that everything was all right.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

The movie shows this discovery as a tender moment, with only a few days passing and Almásy lying next to Katharine’s recently deceased body, stroking her hair.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

"I just remember holding his hand and stroking his arm, and saying, 'It's OK, you can go now, we're all good, you've done your job.'"

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

Barca could not stem the tide and Girona forced their way in front after 87 minutes, with Fran Beltran stroking home from the edge of the area.

From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026

Ms. Waller-Bridge was almost as funny as Jean Smart in “Hacks,” which lost the Emmy to Seth Rogen’s wobbly vehicle “The Studio,” another example of the industry stroking itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

“No, Shilling,” she said, stroking his head and planting a soft kiss on his nose with her flickering lips.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• brush
• caress
• rub