Stroke

/stɹəʊk/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  • Grammar: stroke is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: cerebrovascular accident, abdominal epilepsy, abuse, access.
  • Useful contrasts: backhands, bad luck, cuff.
  • Usage evidence: The lion put an end to his prey with one stroke.

How to use "stroke"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stroke" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stroke" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stroke" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stroke" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "stroke" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "cerebrovascular accident" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "stroke", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.

    "a stroke on the chin"

  2. 2
    An act of moving one's hand or an object along a surface in one direction, touching it lightly; a caress. transitive

    "She gave the cat a stroke."

  3. 3
    a light touch with the hands wordnet
  4. 4
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; An act of striking with a weapon; a blow.

    "Singapore plans to cane scammers and scam mules, with mandatory caning of at least six strokes for scammers and discretionary caning for mules."

  5. 5
    A gesture of assurance given as encouragement; specifically (psychoanalysis) in transactional analysis: a (generally positive) reaction expressed to a person which fulfils their desires or needs. figuratively, transitive

    "Not providing a stroke to a client can sometimes facilitate the client in becoming aware of their neediness or desire for approval. By not giving a stroke, the client's need is brought to the surface, where it is amenable to change, […]"

Show 44 more definitions
  1. 6
    a single complete movement wordnet
  2. 7
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; A single movement with a tool; also, an impact of a tool on an object.

    "[W]hen a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor, to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a ſtroke with the axe to cut downe the tree, and the head ſlippeth from the helue, and lighteth vpon his neighbour that he die, he ſhall flee vnto one of thoſe cities, and liue: […]"

  3. 8
    A flattering or friendly act, comment, etc., done or made to a person to influence them. US, figuratively, transitive
  4. 9
    (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand wordnet
  5. 10
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; The hitting of a bell or similar by the clapper or hammer of a clock; the sound thereof; the time when this occurs.

    "on the stroke of midnight"

  6. 11
    any one of the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing wordnet
  7. 12
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; An act of hitting or trying to hit a ball; also, the manner in which this is done.; The action of hitting the ball with the bat; a shot.
  8. 13
    a mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush wordnet
  9. 14
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; An act of hitting or trying to hit a ball; also, the manner in which this is done.; A single act of striking at the ball with a club; also, at matchplay, a shot deducted from a player's score at a hole as a result of a handicapping system.
  10. 15
    a punctuation mark (‘/’) used to separate related items of information wordnet
  11. 16
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; An act of hitting or trying to hit a ball; also, the manner in which this is done.; A point awarded to a player in case of interference or obstruction by the opponent.
  12. 17
    anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause wordnet
  13. 18
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.; An act of hitting or trying to hit a ball; also, the manner in which this is done.; The hitting of a ball with a racket; also, the movement of the racket and arm that produces that impact.
  14. 19
    the maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam wordnet
  15. 20
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished.

    "the stroke of a bird’s wing in flying"

  16. 21
    a light touch wordnet
  17. 22
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished.; The movement of an oar or paddle through water: either the cycle of movement as a whole, or the propelling phase (as opposed to the return); the manner in which such movements are made; a rowing style.
  18. 23
    the oarsman nearest the stern of the shell who sets the pace for the rest of the crew wordnet
  19. 24
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished.; The rower nearest the stern of the boat, the movement of whose oar sets the rhythm for the other rowers; the position in the boat occupied by this rower. broadly
  20. 25
    (golf) the unit of scoring in golf is the act of hitting the ball with a club wordnet
  21. 26
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished.; A movement of the arms and legs which propels a swimmer through the water; a specific combination of such movements, constituting a swimming style.

    "butterfly stroke"

  22. 27
    a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain wordnet
  23. 28
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; A beat or throb, as of the heart or pulse.

    "[I]n true marriage lies / Nor equal, nor unequal: each fulfils / Defect in each, and always thought in thought, / Purpose in purpose, will in will, they grow, / The single pure and perfect animal, / The two-cell'd heart beating, with one full stroke / Life."

  24. 29
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; A single movement or thrust of a reciprocating device (such as a piston or connecting rod); the length of this movement.

    "For the pistons of a four-stroke engine, the exhaust stroke follows the power stroke."

  25. 30
    A movement similar to that of hitting.; A single movement or thrust of a reciprocating device (such as a piston or connecting rod); the length of this movement.; A thrust of the penis during sexual intercourse. broadly
  26. 31
    An act causing hurt or death, especially when seen as divine punishment. figuratively

    "the stroke of death"

  27. 32
    A damaging occurrence, especially if sudden; a blow, a calamity. figuratively

    "The Abp. [Archbishop] of York [John Dolben] now died of yᵉ small pox, aged 62, a corpulent man. […] I looke on this as a greate stroke to yᵉ poore Church of England, now in this defecting period."

  28. 33
    An amount of work; specifically, a large amount of business or work. figuratively

    "a stroke of business"

  29. 34
    A powerful or sudden effort by which something is done or produced; also, something accomplished by such an effort; an achievement, a feat. figuratively

    "a stroke of genius"

  30. 35
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement. figuratively

    "Among other branches of ſcience, if one can call it ſo, Mr. [John] Evelyn ſtudied Phyſiognomy, and found diſſimulation, boldneſs, cruelty and ambition in every touch and ſtroke of [Isaac] Fuller's picture of Oliver Cromvvell's face, vvhich he ſays, vvas the moſt reſembling portrait of the Protector."

  31. 36
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.; A line making up a written character. figuratively
  32. 37
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.; In Unicode: the formal name of the individual horizontal strikethroughs (as in "A̶"). figuratively
  33. 38
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.; The oblique, slash, or virgule ("/"). Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, figuratively

    "Subject: Fire. Dear Sir-stroke-Madam: I am writing to inform you of a fire which has broken out at the premises of … No. That's too formal."

  34. 39
    A distinctive expression in a written composition; a touch. figuratively

    "to give some finishing strokes to an essay"

  35. 40
    Influence; power. archaic, figuratively

    "[W]here ſoeuer poſſeſſyons be pryuate, where moneye beareth all the ſtroke, it is hard and almoſte impoſſyble that there the weale publyque maye iuſtelye be gouerned and proſperouſlye floryſhe: […]"

  36. 41
    Influence; power.; Backstage influence. archaic, figuratively
  37. 42
    A masterful or effective action. figuratively

    "To enable any other piece to effect the decisive stroke, a greater number of facilities, arising either from the coöperation of partisans, or the obstruction of the adverse king by his own pieces, must conspire in proportion to the assailant's class."

  38. 43
    A sudden interruption of blood supply to the brain, causing minor to major brain damage and possible death.

    "suffer a stroke"

  39. 44
    An individual discharge of lightning, particularly if causing damage.

    "A flash of lightning may be made up of several strokes. If they are separated by enough time for the eye to distinguish them, the lightning will appear to flicker."

  40. 45
    An individual social interaction whereby one gives another attention or recognition.

    "Being gay and in prison is a very lonely experience. I would like to get some gay contacts on the outside that could give me some positive strokes."

  41. 46
    The effect or result of a striking; affliction or injury; a bruise or wound; soreness. obsolete

    "Moreover the light of the Moone ſhalbe as the light of the Sunne, and the light of the Sunne ſhall be ſeuenfold, as the light of ſeuen dayes, in the day that the Lord bindeth vp the breach of his people, and healeth the ſtroke of their wound."

  42. 47
    Chiefly in to have a good stroke: appetite. obsolete

    "[N]either can any man be entertain'd as a Soldier, that has not a greater ſtroke than ordinary at eating: for by this they judge of his ſtrength and conſtitution."

  43. 48
    A sudden attack of any illness, especially if causing loss of consciousness or movement, or when fatal. obsolete

    "a stroke of apoplexy"

  44. 49
    A bow or pluck of a string or strings of a stringed instrument; also, the manner in which a musical instrument is played; hence, a melody, a tune. obsolete

    "Or can he desire a nobler or a fuller Argument either for the softest Aires or the loudest Echoes, for the smoothest or briskest strokes of his Pindaric Lyre?"

Verb
  1. 1
    To draw the horizontal line across the upright part (of the letter t). transitive
  2. 2
    To move one's hand or an object (such as a broom or brush) along (a surface) in one direction, touching it lightly; to caress. transitive

    "His Majestie began first to touch for yᵉ evil, according to custome, thus: his Maᵗⁱᵉ sitting under his State in yᵉ Banquetting House, the Chirurgeons cause the sick to be brought or led up to the throne, where they kneeling, yᵉ King strokes their faces or cheekes with both his hands at once, at which instant a Chaplaine in his formalities says, "He put his hands upon them and he healed them.""

  3. 3
    treat gingerly or carefully wordnet
  4. 4
    Followed by out or through: to draw a line or lines through (text) to indicate that it is deleted; to cancel, to strike or strike out. transitive
  5. 5
    To move one's hand or an object (such as a broom or brush) along (a surface) in one direction, touching it lightly; to caress.; To masturbate. broadly, intransitive, transitive, uncommon, vulgar
Show 19 more definitions
  1. 6
    strike a ball with a smooth blow wordnet
  2. 7
    Of a bell or clock: to chime or sound to indicate (the hour, the time, etc.). poetic, rare, transitive
  3. 8
    To bring (something) to a certain condition by stroking (sense 1). also, figuratively, transitive
  4. 9
    row at a particular rate wordnet
  5. 10
    To mark (something) with lines or stripes; to stripe. rare, transitive
  6. 11
    To give assurance to (someone) through encouragement. especially, figuratively, transitive

    "[W]hen thou cam'ſt firſt / Thou ſtroakſt me, & made much of me: […]"

  7. 12
    touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions wordnet
  8. 13
    To hit or kick (the ball) with a flowing or smooth motion; also, to score (a goal, a point, etc.) by doing so. transitive
  9. 14
    To influence (someone) by convincing or flattering them. US, broadly, figuratively, transitive
  10. 15
    Of a rower or a crew: to row at (a rate of a certain number of strokes (“movements of the oar through water”) per minute). transitive
  11. 16
    To milk (a cow or other animal); especially, to squeeze the teat of (a cow, etc.) to extract the last bit of milk from the udder; to strap (dialectal), to strip. transitive
  12. 17
    To act as the stroke (“rower who is nearest the stern of the boat, the movement of whose oar sets the rowing rhythm for the other rowers”) of (a boat or its crew). transitive

    "to stroke a boat"

  13. 18
    To give a finely fluted surface to (stone) by carving it with a tool. transitive
  14. 19
    To strike (the water) with one's arms and legs when swimming. transitive
  15. 20
    To sharpen (a knife or other cutting instrument) by honing or rubbing it against a surface. obsolete, transitive
  16. 21
    To depict (something) with a paintbrush. obsolete, transitive
  17. 22
    To soothe (someone); also, to flatter or indulge (someone). figuratively, obsolete, transitive
  18. 23
    Chiefly followed by out: to suffer loss of brain function when the blood supply to the brain is suddenly interrupted; to have a stroke (noun sense 4). intransitive
  19. 24
    To swim by making co-ordinated movements with the arms and legs. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
cerebrovascular accidentabdominal epilepsyabuseaccessaccidentaccomplished fact

Antonyms

backhandsbad luckcufferase

Example

"The lion put an end to his prey with one stroke."

Common questions

What does "stroke" mean?

An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.

What is a synonym for "stroke"?

Common synonyms include: cerebrovascular accident, abdominal epilepsy, abuse, access, accident, accomplished fact.

How do you use "stroke" in a sentence?

The lion put an end to his prey with one stroke.

How do you pronounce "stroke"?

Pronounced /stɹəʊk/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic *straik, from Proto-Germanic *straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to strike”). Sense 3.6.2.2 (“the oblique, slash, or virgule (‘/’)”) is a contraction of oblique stroke, a variant of oblique which was originally used in telegraphy. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * German Streich (“stroke”) * Middle Low German strēk (“stroke, trick, prank”) * Scots strak, strake, straik (“blow, stroke”)

Etymology 2

The verb is derived from Middle English stroken, straken (“to caress, fondle, pat, rub, smooth, stroke; to pass something over (someone or something); to brush or rub against;”) [and other forms], from Old English strācian (“to stroke”), from Proto-West Germanic *straikōn (“to caress, stroke”), from *straik (“a line, stroke; a dash”) (see further at etymology 1) + *-ōn (suffix forming verbs from nouns). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * German streicheln (“to stroke, fondle”) * German Low German straken, strieken, strakeln, striekeln (“to stroke; caress; fondle”) * Middle Low German strēken, Middle Dutch strēken (modern Dutch streeken) * Old High German strīhhan, streihhōn, Middle High German strīchen (modern German streichen (“to stroke; to rub; to spread; to apply; to paint; to cancel; to cross out, strike out; to delete; to discard”)) * Saterland Frisian strookje (“to stroke; caress”) * West Frisian streakje (“to stroke; caress”)

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