stroke
[verb]
Synonyms:
- caress, fondle, pet, rub
[noun]
Synonyms:
- apoplexy, attack, collapse, fit, seizure
- blow, hit, knock, pat, rap, thump

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English Thesaurus: touch, feel, handle, finger, rub, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. stroke¹ S3 /strəʊk $ stroʊk/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: Probably from an unrecorded Old English strac]

1. ILLNESS if someone has a stroke, an artery (=tube carrying blood) in their brain suddenly bursts or becomes blocked, so that they may die or be unable to use some muscles:
She died following a massive stroke.
have/suffer a stroke
I looked after my father after he had a stroke.
a stroke patient

2. SWIMMING/ROWING
a) one of a set of movements in swimming or rowing in which you move your arms or the oar forward and then back:
She swam with strong steady strokes.
b) a style of swimming or rowing:
the breast stroke

3. SPORT the action of hitting the ball in games such as tennis, golf, and cricket:
a backhand stroke

4. PEN/BRUSH
a) a single movement of a pen or brush when you are writing or painting:
A few strokes of her pen brought out his features clearly.
b) a line made by a pen or brush:
the thick downward strokes of the characters

5. at a/one stroke with a single sudden action:
At one stroke, the country lost two outstanding leaders.

6. on the stroke of seven/nine etc at exactly seven o'clock etc:
She arrived home on the stroke of midnight.
The only goal of the match came on the stroke of half time.

7. stroke of luck/fortune something lucky that happens to you unexpectedly:
In a stroke of luck, a suitable organ donor became available.

8. stroke of genius/inspiration etc a very good idea about what to do to solve a problem:
It was a stroke of genius to film the movie in Toronto.

9. HIT an action of hitting someone with something such as a whip or thin stick:
He cried out at each stroke of the whip.

10. A MOVEMENT OF YOUR HAND a gentle movement of your hand over something:
I gave her hair a gentle stroke.

11. with/at a stroke of the pen if someone in authority does something with a stroke of the pen, they sign an official document to make a decision with important and serious results:
He had the power to order troops home with a stroke of his pen.

12. not do a stroke (of work) British English informal to not do any work at all

13. stroke of lightning a bright flash of lightning, especially one that hits something

14. CLOCK/BELL a single sound made by a clock giving the hours, or by a bell, gong etc

15. put somebody off their stroke British English informal to make someone stop giving all their attention to what they are doing:
Seeing Frank watching me put me off my stroke.

16. IN NUMBERS British English used when you are saying a number written with the mark (/) in it Synonym : slash:
The serial number is seventeen stroke one (=17/1).

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. stroke² verb [transitive]
[Sense 1-2,4: Language: Old English; Origin: stracian]
[Sense 3: Date: 1900-2000; Origin: ⇒ stroke¹]

1. to move your hand gently over something:
He reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly.

2. [always + adverb/preposition] to move something somewhere with gentle movements of your hand:
He lifted her face and stroked her hair from her eyes.

3. [always + adverb/preposition] to hit or kick a ball with a smooth movement in games such as tennis, golf, and cricket:
He stroked the ball into an empty net, with a minute to go.

4. stroke sb’s ego to say nice things to someone to make them feel good, especially because you want something from them

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

stroke
noun
I. of a brush, pen, etc.
ADJ. long, short | broad, thick | narrow, thin | bold, vigorous She caught his likeness with a few bold brush strokes.
even | quick, slow | downward, upward | brush, pen, pencil
PHRASES with a stroke of the pen With a stroke of the pen our names were removed from the register.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stroke
II. in sport
ADJ. fast, slow | powerful The Romanian rowers pulled ahead with fast, powerful strokes.
backhand, forehand (in tennis, etc.)
VERB + STROKE play He played some powerful backhand strokes throughout the game.
PREP. by a, two, etc. ~ (in golf) Woods leads by two strokes.
PHRASES a/two, etc. strokes ahead/behind (in golf)

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stroke
III. in swimming
ADJ. long, short He swam back with long slow strokes.
fast, slow | back (also backstroke), breast (also breaststroke)
VERB + STROKE do, swim You can't swim more than four strokes before you reach the other side.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stroke
IV. sudden illness of the brain
ADJ. crippling, massive, serious | minor, slight | fatal
VERB + STROKE have, suffer She had a massive stroke and lost her speech.
STROKE + VERB leave sb … The stroke left him paralysed down his right side.
STROKE + NOUN patient, victim
 ⇒ Special page at ILLNESS

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stroke
V. sth that happens unexpectedly
ADJ. sudden I had a sudden stroke of inspiration.
VERB + STROKE have
PREP. at a/one ~ They lost half their fortune at a stroke.
~ of a stroke of genius
PHRASES a stroke of (good/bad) luck, a stroke of (good) fortune

NOTE swimming strokes

a fast, powerful, strong crawl a slow breaststroke do, swim (the) ~    a swimmer doing the crawl I can't swim butterfly. strike out in/with breaststroke/crawl    She struck out with a strong crawl towards the shore. a length of ~    He did 15 lengths of backstroke every morning. In competitions the categories are backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle (= in which competitors do crawl because it is fastest). 100 metres, 200 metres, etc. ~ men's, women's ~ compete in ~    competing in the women's 100 metres freestyle in the ~    He came first in the 200 metres backstroke.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stroke
verb
ADV. gently, lightly, softly, tenderly | thoughtfully He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
absently She stroked the cat absently.
away She gently stroked away his tears.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

stroke

have/suffer a stroke
My father had a stroke.
a stroke leaves somebody paralysed (=someone can no longer move as the result of a stroke)
Two years later she had a stroke which left her paralysed.
a massive/major stroke (=one that has very bad effects)
Her brother has just died of a massive stroke.
a minor/mild stroke (=one that does not have very bad effects)
She had a minor stroke five years ago.
a fatal stroke (=one that kills someone)
He suffered a fatal stroke in April.
a stroke patient/victim
Some stroke victims recover fully.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

touch to put your fingers or hand onto someone or something for a very short time:
Don’t touch the iron – it’s hot!
feel to touch something with your fingers in order to find out about it:
Feel how soft this material is.
I felt his forehead. It was cold.
handle to touch something and pick it up and hold it in your hands:
Children should always wash their hands before handling food.
The glass was very fragile, and she handled it with great care.
Please do not handle the merchandise.
finger to touch or handle something with your fingers, especially while you are thinking of other things:
She fingered the heavy necklace around her neck.
rub to move your hand over a surface while pressing it:
Bob rubbed his eyes and yawned.
scratch to rub part of your body with your nails, often because it ITCHES:
The dog kept scratching its ear.
Bob scratched his head thoughtfully.
tickle to move your fingers lightly over someone’s body in order to make them laugh:
The baby giggled as I tickled him.
grope to touch someone’s body in a sexual way when they do not want to be touched:
The officer was accused of groping several women in his platoon.
stroke to move your hand gently over something, especially in a loving way:
She stroked the child’s hair.
Our cat won’t let people stroke him.
pat to touch an animal or child lightly several times, with your hand flat:
He knelt down to pat the dog.
She patted the little boy’s head.
pet to touch and move your hand gently over someone, especially an animal or child:
The goats, pigs, sheep, and cows here allow you to pet them.
caress /kəˈres/ to gently touch a part of someone’s body in a loving way:
a mother caressing her child
She caressed his cheek.
fondle to touch a part of someone’s body in a loving or sexual way – use this especially about touching someone in a sexual way that is not wanted:
He tried to fondle her and she immediately pulled away from him.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

stroke
strəuk
See: at a stroke or at one's stroke

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲