brushstroke

IPA/ˈbrʌʃ.strəʊk/
IPA/ˈbrʌʃ.stroʊk/

brushstroke — noun

  • brushstrokesingular
  • brushstrokesplural

1. a visible mark or pattern made by moving a paintbrush over a surface, or the sty

1.nounC1
Definition

a visible mark or pattern made by moving a paintbrush over a surface, or the style an artist creates through marks of that kind

Example

The sky is built from quick blue brushstrokes across the canvas.

collocation: quick brushstrokes

Up close, Mei could see each brushstroke around the horse's eye.

pattern: each brushstroke

Common collocations
  • bold brushstrokes
  • delicate brushstrokes
  • visible brushstrokes
  • single brushstroke
  • thick brushstrokes
Synonyms
  • stroke

    more general; it can describe any sweeping movement or mark, not only one made with a paintbrush

  • mark

    a broader everyday word for any visible sign on a surface

  • line

    suggests a narrower or more clearly shaped mark than brushstroke

  • brushwork

    usually refers to the painter's overall technique rather than one single mark

Grammar Patterns

a brushstroke on the canvas

each brushstroke

bold/quick brushstrokes

Usage Note

Often used either for one visible mark or for the general style of marks in a painting. Distinguish from brushwork, which more often describes the artist's overall handling across a whole work.

Common Mistakes

The artist added one more brush stroke near the tree.
The artist added one more brushstroke near the tree.
This noun is usually written as one word.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Brushstroke is the most exact word when you mean a paint mark made by a brush or the visible style of those marks in a picture. Stroke is broader and can describe one movement or mark in painting, writing, or sport. Line focuses more on shape, so it often sounds straighter or more controlled. Mark is the widest everyday choice for any visible sign on a surface. Brushwork is closer in meaning, but it usually points to the artist's overall technique rather than one separate mark. You can admire the soft brushstrokes in a river scene, but you would usually discuss the painter's brushwork across the whole canvas.

brushstroke ↗stroke ↗line ↗mark ↗brushwork ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bold brushstrokes
  • quick brushstrokes
  • soft brushstrokes
  • visible brushstrokes

Phrases

  • see each brushstroke
  • make a brushstroke
  • paint with broad brushstrokes

Prepositions

  • brushstroke across
  • brushstroke around
  • brushstroke on

Etymology

English

Brushstroke is a compound formed in English from brush and stroke. It grew naturally from the idea of a single movement of the brush and then came to name both the mark left by that movement and the style created by such marks in a painting.