stroke
stroke — verb
- strokepresent simple I / you / we / they
- strokes3rd person singular
- stroking-ing form
- strokedpast simple
1. To gently pass your hand or fingers over a surface, an animal, or a part of some
To gently pass your hand or fingers over a surface, an animal, or a part of someone's body, usually with a soft repeating motion to show love, care, or comfort.
Sivan gently stroked the old dog's head until it fell asleep on the sofa.
stroke + body part to soothe an animal
Ingrid stroked her daughter's hair to calm her down before the school play.
stroke + hair/head to calm a person
Every morning Felipe strokes the cat while he waits for the kettle to boil.
Putri stroked her grandmother's cheek and told her everything would be fine.
stroke + face/cheek to comfort someone
- stroke gently
- stroke someone's hair
- stroke a cat / a dog
- stroke the back
Grammar Patterns
stroke + noun phrase (someone/something)
Usage Note
The object is usually an animal or a person's hair, face, or back. Frequently used to describe a comforting or affectionate action.
Common Mistakes
2. When playing certain sports, to send a ball forward with a smooth, controlled sw
When playing certain sports, to send a ball forward with a smooth, controlled swing of a bat, racket, or club.
Takeshi stroked the tennis ball into the far corner and won the point.
stroke + ball + into [destination]
The cricketer stroked the ball past three fielders for four runs.
Anjali stroked her golf shot carefully and watched it roll close to the hole.
stroke + [sports] shot + adverb of manner
Cyrus stroked a perfect forehand down the line to win the match point.
stroke + forehand/backhand in tennis
- stroke the ball
- stroke to the boundary
- stroke through the covers
- stroke cleanly
Grammar Patterns
stroke + ball + prepositional phrase
Usage Note
Used in British sports contexts (cricket, tennis, golf) for a hit that is smooth and controlled rather than powerful. Less common in American English.
3. To say nice things to someone or give them special attention so they feel good a
To say nice things to someone or give them special attention so they feel good and are more likely to agree with you or do what you want.
The salesperson stroked the customer's ego by admiring her choice of furniture.
stroke + someone's ego + by doing something
Nellie knew her boss was stroking her when he praised the report she wrote.
passive: be stroked = receive insincere praise
Jabari stroked the client's vanity with compliments about his taste in cars.
The journalist stroked the politician's ego before asking the tough questions.
stroke + someone's ego before [action with goal]
- stroke someone's ego
- stroke someone's vanity
- stroke someone's pride
Grammar Patterns
stroke + someone's + ego/vanity/pride
Usage Note
Almost always used with 'ego', 'vanity', or 'pride' as the object. The flattery is usually insincere and has a practical goal.
Common Mistakes
stroke — noun
- strokesingular
- strokesplural
1. a health crisis in which blood stops flowing properly inside the head, harming b
a health crisis in which blood stops flowing properly inside the head, harming brain cells and possibly leaving a person unable to move, speak, or think as before
Zayd's grandfather had a stroke last year and now struggles to walk without help.
have a stroke
Doctors told Anong that smoking and high blood pressure both raise the risk of stroke.
risk of stroke
After the stroke, Tamar had to learn how to speak again with the help of a therapist.
Élise's doctor warned her that frequent headaches could be a sign of a coming stroke.
- have a stroke
- suffer a stroke
- risk of stroke
- stroke patient
- stroke recovery
- cause a stroke
- brain attack
less common; used by some health campaigns to emphasize urgency
- cerebrovascular accident
formal medical term; rarely used in everyday conversation
Grammar Patterns
have a stroke
suffer a stroke
Usage Note
Commonly used with the verbs 'have', 'suffer', or 'cause': 'He had a stroke.' / 'The blockage caused a stroke.' The noun is most often singular when referring to the medical event.
Common Mistakes
2. a visible mark or line created on a surface when a writing or drawing tool is mo
a visible mark or line created on a surface when a writing or drawing tool is moved across it once
Eri signed the contract with a quick stroke of her pen.
stroke of the pen
The painting of the harbour uses broad brush strokes in shades of blue and grey.
broad brush strokes
David's calligraphy teacher showed him how to make each stroke thin at the top and thick at the bottom.
Ziad practised writing the letter 'M' until each stroke was smooth and even.
- brush stroke
- stroke of the pen
- bold stroke
- fine stroke
- broad stroke
- paint stroke
Grammar Patterns
stroke of the pen
brush stroke
Usage Note
Often used in the phrase 'stroke of the pen' to describe an official decision signed into effect. In visual art, 'brush stroke' refers to the visible mark of a painter's brush on the canvas.
Common Mistakes
3. when speaking aloud, the word that stands for the / symbol, placed between items
when speaking aloud, the word that stands for the / symbol, placed between items to show they are alternatives or connected
The form asks for your name stroke date of birth in the top box.
[A] stroke [B] — spoken slash
Min read the address aloud as "flat twenty-four stroke A, Victoria Mansions."
When the teacher said "true stroke false," the students had to circle the correct answer.
Isabela read the web address as "www dot example stroke contact" over the phone.
- A stroke B
- and/or → and stroke or
- slash
more common in American English and in computing contexts
- forward slash
technical term to distinguish from backslash \
Grammar Patterns
[option A] stroke [option B]
Usage Note
Used mainly in spoken British English when reading the slash symbol aloud. In written English, the symbol / is used instead. American English speakers more often say 'slash' than 'stroke'.
Common Mistakes
4. a single swing or hit of the ball using a racket, bat, club, or similar sports e
a single swing or hit of the ball using a racket, bat, club, or similar sports equipment during a game
Iris spent the afternoon practising her backhand stroke against the practice wall.
backhand stroke / forehand stroke
Tendai needed only two strokes to get the golf ball onto the green.
Elena watched the coach demonstrate the correct arm movement for a powerful tennis stroke.
Eve's golf coach counted her strokes and told her to keep her elbow straighter.
- backhand stroke
- forehand stroke
- golf stroke
- penalty stroke
- stroke play
- take a stroke
Grammar Patterns
[number] stroke(s) to/on [target]
take a stroke
Usage Note
In golf, a 'stroke' is also the unit of scoring — each hit of the ball counts as one stroke. In tennis, badminton, and table tennis, it refers to the type of swing (forehand, backhand, volley).
Common Mistakes
5. a single hit or blow delivered with a weapon such as a sword, axe, stick, or whi
a single hit or blow delivered with a weapon such as a sword, axe, stick, or whip
Astrid dodged the guard's first stroke and rolled behind a stack of wooden crates.
The knight's final stroke broke through the enemy's shield and ended the fight.
final stroke — decisive blow
A single stroke of the axe split the fallen tree into two clean halves.
stroke of the axe
Lakshmi trained for months to perfect the whip stroke without leaving a mark.
- stroke of the axe
- stroke of the sword
- mortal stroke
- single stroke
- final stroke
Grammar Patterns
[number] stroke(s) of [weapon]
Usage Note
Often paired with 'of' plus the weapon: 'stroke of a sword' / 'stroke of an axe'. This sense is more common in historical or fantasy writing than in everyday conversation.
Common Mistakes
6. a way of swimming that uses a particular pattern of arm and leg actions to move
a way of swimming that uses a particular pattern of arm and leg actions to move the body through water
Christopher won the school race because he swims freestyle stroke faster than anyone.
freestyle stroke
Shanti is learning the breaststroke at her Saturday swimming class and can now cross the pool.
the breaststroke
Aylin prefers the backstroke because she finds it easier to breathe while floating on her back.
Mark found the butterfly stroke exhausting but loved the speed it gave him in the water.
butterfly stroke
- freestyle stroke
- breaststroke
- backstroke
- butterfly stroke
- swimming stroke
Grammar Patterns
[style name] stroke
swim [style name]
Usage Note
The four main competitive strokes are front crawl (freestyle), backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. The names breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly are typically written as single words without a space.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'I am learning the butterfly stroke, but the arm movement is very hard.' (correct usage) — This is actually correct. Just be careful not to write 'butter fly stroke' as two separate words.
7. a sudden success or a fortunate occurrence that happens unexpectedly, often beca
a sudden success or a fortunate occurrence that happens unexpectedly, often because of luck, skill, or a clever idea
Jenna found that rare book at the market for five dollars — a stroke of luck.
collocation: stroke of luck
Bilal's app redesign was a stroke of genius that doubled the user base.
collocation: stroke of genius
Nora missed her bus — a real stroke of bad luck since taxis were all taken.
collocation: stroke of (bad) luck
Getting into that top university was a stroke of good fortune for Tariro.
- stroke of luck
- stroke of genius
- stroke of good fortune
- stroke of bad luck
- piece of luck
more general; less dramatic than 'stroke of luck'
- coup
formal; suggests a clever and usually difficult achievement
- windfall
specifically an unexpected financial gain
- misfortune
a stroke of bad luck
8. a tiny amount of work or effort, almost always used in negative statements to me
a tiny amount of work or effort, almost always used in negative statements to mean no work at all
Nadia has not done a stroke of work all morning — just scrolling through her phone.
typically used in negative: not a stroke of work
Quinn promised to help with the dishes but has not done a stroke yet.
The lazy intern did not complete a single stroke of work before lunch.
Caleb claimed he was busy, though he never did a stroke of work all day.
- not a stroke of work
- never a stroke
- without a stroke
Usage Note
Almost always used in negative or semi-negative contexts: 'not a stroke of work', 'hardly a stroke'. Affirmative uses ('a stroke of work') are rare and usually sarcastic.
Common Mistakes
9. a sudden, vigorous action or movement, often one that accomplishes a task or cre
a sudden, vigorous action or movement, often one that accomplishes a task or creates a result in a single attempt
With one swift stroke, Mia struck the match against the side of the box.
phrase: with one stroke
The new law wiped out old regulations at a single stroke.
phrase: at a single stroke
Ayana solved the hard puzzle in one stroke, surprising everyone.
Esteban cleared the snow from the path with one stroke of the shovel.
- at a stroke
- at one stroke
- with one stroke
- single stroke
Usage Note
Common in the fixed phrases 'at a stroke', 'at one stroke', and 'with one stroke', meaning 'with a single action'.
10. one of the individual ringing sounds a clock makes, especially when it marks eac
one of the individual ringing sounds a clock makes, especially when it marks each hour by striking a bell
At midnight, the old town clock rang twelve loud strokes that echoed across the square.
stroke of a clock / bell
Élise counted the hall clock's strokes — it was eleven o'clock.
The last stroke of the bell faded into silence, and the room became still.
Ziad heard the first stroke of the clock at exactly six in the morning.
- stroke of the clock
- stroke of the bell
- twelve strokes
- last stroke
11. a soft, gentle movement of the hand across a surface or over a person's skin or
a soft, gentle movement of the hand across a surface or over a person's skin or hair, typically done to show care, comfort, or affection
The cat purred loudly at every gentle stroke of Nkechi's hand along its back.
stroke of the hand
A tender stroke on her grandmother's cheek helped the elderly woman feel safe and loved.
Joon gave his nervous dog a long, soothing stroke after the thunderstorm.
Antonia's gentle stroke on the baby's head made the infant fall asleep quickly.
- gentle stroke
- soft stroke
- stroke of the hand
- give someone a stroke
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 7-12 sibling sense 'stroke of luck': this is a physical, affectionate touch, not an abstract event. The related verb sense (verb/1) is the action; this noun sense is the act or instance of that action.
12. the rower who sits nearest the back of a racing boat and sets the speed and rhyt
the rower who sits nearest the back of a racing boat and sets the speed and rhythm that the other rowers follow
Hiro, as the stroke, set the pace for all eight rowers behind him.
the stroke of the crew
The coach told the stroke to slow down so the team could keep up.
A good stroke must keep a steady rhythm even when the crew is tired.
Nila was chosen as the stroke because of her strong sense of timing.
- stroke of the crew
- stroke seat
- stroke rower
- set the stroke
- pacesetter
general sports term; not specific to rowing
- lead rower
descriptive but not the standard term
Usage Note
A specialized term in rowing (crew). The stroke rower sits in the 'stroke seat' at the stern of the boat and is responsible for the crew's timing and cadence. Not to be confused with the swimming sense (sense 6, noun).
Doing something with one quick action, often achieving a lot at once.
The new law solved several problems at a single stroke.
Did the company lose all its clients at one stroke?
To cause someone to lose focus or make a mistake while doing something.
The loud noise put the pianist off her stroke during the concert.
Don't let the criticism put you off your stroke.
Word family
- strokedverb (past tense)B1
- strokingverb (present participle)B1
- strokesverb (third person singular)B1
- strokesnoun (plural)B1
- backstrokenounB2
- breaststrokenounB2
- freestylenoun (swimming stroke)B2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
stroke, caress, pet, rub, and pat all describe touching someone or something with the hand, but they differ in purpose and intensity. Stroke suggests a slow, gentle, repeated motion — usually to comfort or show affection (e.g. stroking a sleeping cat). Caress is more intimate and romantic; you caress a partner's cheek, but you would not normally caress a pet. Pet is used almost exclusively for animals and involves a similar gentle, repeated motion (e.g. petting a dog). Rub involves more pressure and a back-and-forth or circular motion, often for relief (e.g. rubbing a sore muscle). Pat is quick and light, usually with the flat of the hand, and is more about approval than affection (e.g. patting someone on the back).
Common collocations
Phrases
- at a stroke
- at one stroke
- stroke of luck
- stroke of genius
- stroke of good fortune
- stroke of bad luck
- not a stroke of work
- broad strokes
- in broad strokes
- stroke of the clock
- on the stroke of midnight
- with one stroke
- a stroke of the pen
Etymology
Stroke comes from Old English strācian (to stroke or caress), which is related to strīcan (to strike, pass over, or move quickly). The medical meaning of a sudden loss of brain function appeared in the 1500s, based on the idea of a 'stroke of God's hand.' The sports senses — a hit in tennis or golf, or a swimming style — developed in the 1700s and 1800s. The rowing sense (the person who sets the pace) comes from the idea of a single oar stroke setting the rhythm for the crew.