the act or an instance of striking, as with the fist, a weapon, or a hammer; a blow.
a hitting of or upon anything.
a striking of a clapper or hammer, as on a bell.
the sound produced by this.
a throb or pulsation, as of the heart.
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.
something likened to a blow in its effect, as in causing pain, injury, or death; an attack of apoplexy or paralysis.
a destructive discharge of lightning.
a vigorous movement, as if in dealing a blow.
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.
a single complete movement, especially one continuously repeated in some process.
Machinery.
one of a series of alternating continuous movements of something back and forth over or through the same line.
the complete movement of a moving part, especially a reciprocating part, in one direction.
the distance traversed in such a movement.
a half revolution of an engine during which the piston travels from one extreme of its range to the other.
Swimming.
a type or method of swimming: The crawl is a rapid stroke.
each of the successive movements of the arms and legs in propelling the body through the water.
Rowing.
a single pull of the oar.
the manner or style of moving the oars.
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.
a movement of a pen, pencil, brush, graver, or the like.
a mark traced by or as if by one movement of a pen, pencil, brush, or the like.
Chiefly British. virgule.
a distinctive or effective touch in a literary composition: His style revealed the stroke of a master.
a single or minimal act, piece, or amount of work, activity, etc.: to refuse to do a stroke of work.
an attempt to attain some object: a bold stroke for liberty.
a measure adopted for a particular purpose.
a keystroke: no more than 65 strokes to the line for business letters.
a feat or achievement: a stroke of genius.
a sudden or chance happening, as of luck or fortune.
verb (used with object),stroked,strok·ing.
to mark with a stroke or strokes, as of a pen; cancel, as by a stroke of a pen.
Rowing.
to row as a stroke oar of (a boat or crew).
to set the stroke for the crew of (a boat).
Sports. to hit (a ball), as with a deliberate, smooth swing of a bat or club.
Origin of stroke
1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English strok, strak (noun), probably continuing unattested Old English strāc (whence strācian ”to stoke”; see stroke2); cognate with German Streich; akin to strike
SYNONYMS FOR stroke
1 rap, tap, knock, pat.
5 beat, thump; rhythm.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR stroke ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for stroke
1, 7. See blow1.
Words nearby stroke
strobotron, strode, Stroessner, stroganoff, Stroheim, stroke, stroke hole, stroke oar, stroke play, stroke volume, stroke work index
Definition for stroke (2 of 2)
stroke2
[ strohk ]
/ stroʊk /
verb (used with object),stroked,strok·ing.
to pass the hand or an instrument over (something or somebody) lightly or with little pressure; rub gently, as in soothing or caressing.
Informal. to promote feelings of self-approval in; flatter.
noun
an act or instance of stroking; a stroking movement.
Origin of stroke
2
before 900; Middle English stroken (v.), Old English strācian; cognate with German streichen; akin to strike
Indeed, scientists have linked khat consumption to increased risk of strokes and heart diseases.
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However, you can bring them back to sharpness with just a few strokes along a sharpening stone.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Knife|Wes Siler|September 3, 2020|Outside Online
So they adopted its broad strokes—including its limits on data collection and its requirements on data storage and data deletion—and then loosened some of its language.
Inside China’s unexpected quest to protect data privacy|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
By itself, such a lopsided stroke would lead to swimming in circles.
Human sperm don’t swim the way that anyone had thought|Jack J. Lee|July 31, 2020|Science News
Instead of swimming straight by twirling their tails like propellers, human sperm flick their tails lopsidedly and roll to balance out the off-center strokes.
Human sperm don’t swim the way that anyone had thought|Jack J. Lee|July 31, 2020|Science News
With every stroke, her leather boot creaked under the weight of her leg.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And finally, when you ask for your car, your dress, whatever it is you want, stroke his hand.
When the patient was five years old the father died suddenly from a stroke, at the age of forty-two.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology|C. G. Jung
He stands shoulder to shoulder with his suffering brothers, and makes his stroke for liberty.
The Tyranny of Tears|Charles Haddon Chambers
British Dictionary definitions for stroke
stroke
/ (strəʊk) /
noun
the act or an instance of striking; a blow, knock, or hit
a sudden action, movement, or occurrencea stroke of luck
a brilliant or inspired act or feata stroke of genius
patholapoplexy; 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
the striking of a clock
the hour registered by the striking of a clockon the stroke of three
a mark, flourish, or line made by a writing implement
another name for solidus, used esp when dictating or reading aloud
a light touch or caress, as with the fingers
a pulsation, esp of the heart
a single complete movement or one of a series of complete movements
sportthe act or manner of striking the ball with a racket, club, bat, etc
any one of the repeated movements used by a swimmer to propel himself through the water
a manner of swimming, esp one of several named styles such as the crawl or butterfly
any one of a series of linear movements of a reciprocating part, such as a piston
the distance travelled by such a part from one end of its movement to the other
a single pull on an oar or oars in rowing
manner or style of rowing
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
USinformala compliment or comment that enhances a person's self-esteem
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.
A sudden severe attack, as of paralysis or sunstroke.
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain, resulting in necrosis of brain tissue and characterized by loss of muscular control, diminution or loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms that vary with the extent and severity of brain damage.cerebral accidentcerebral infarctioncerebrovascular accident
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. Also called cerebrovascular accident