stroke Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
    shot.
    • it took two strokes to get out of the bunker
    • a good shot requires good balance and tempo
    • he left me an almost impossible shot
  2. noun the maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam
    throw; cam stroke.
  3. noun a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
    CVA; apoplexy; cerebrovascular accident.
  4. noun a light touch
  5. noun a light touch with the hands
    stroking.
  6. noun (golf) the unit of scoring in golf is the act of hitting the ball with a club
    • Nicklaus won by three strokes
  7. noun the oarsman nearest the stern of the shell who sets the pace for the rest of the crew
  8. noun anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause
    fortuity; accident; chance event.
    • winning the lottery was a happy accident
    • the pregnancy was a stroke of bad luck
    • it was due to an accident or fortuity
  9. noun a punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of information
    virgule; solidus; diagonal; separatrix; slash.
  10. noun a mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush
    • she applied the paint in careful strokes
  11. noun any one of the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing
  12. noun a single complete movement
  13. verb touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
    • He stroked his long beard
  14. verb strike a ball with a smooth blow
  15. verb row at a particular rate
  16. verb treat gingerly or carefully
    • You have to stroke the boss

WordNet

Stroke imp. of Strike
Definitions
obs.
  1. Struck.
Stroke noun
Etymology
OE. strok, strook, strak, fr. striken. See Strike, v. t.
Definitions
  1. The act of striking; a blow; a hit; a knock; esp., a violent or hostile attack made with the arm or hand, or with an instrument or weapon.
    His hand fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree. Deut. xix. 5.
    A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth calleth for strokes. Prov. xviii. 6.
    He entered and won the whole kingdom of Naples without striking a stroke. Bacon.
  2. The result of effect of a striking; injury or affliction; soreness.
    In the day that Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Isa. xxx. 26.
  3. The striking of the clock to tell the hour.
    Well, but what's o'clock? - Upon the stroke of ten. -- Well, let is strike. Shak.
  4. A gentle, caressing touch or movement upon something; a stroking. Dryden.
  5. A mark or dash in writing or printing; a line; the touch of a pen or pencil; as, an up stroke; a firm stroke.
    O, lasting as those colors may they shine, Free as thy stroke, yet faultless as thy line. Pope.
  6. Hence, by extension, an addition or amandment to a written composition; a touch; as, to give some finishing strokes to an essay. Addison.
  7. A sudden attack of disease; especially, a fatal attack; a severe disaster; any affliction or calamity, especially a sudden one; as, a stroke of apoplexy; the stroke of death.
    At this one stroke the man looked dead in law. Harte.
  8. A throb or beat, as of the heart. Tennyson.
  9. One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished; as, the stroke of a bird's wing in flying, or an oar in rowing, of a skater, swimmer, etc.; also: (Rowing) (a) The rate of succession of stroke; as, a quick stroke. (b) The oar nearest the stern of a boat, by which the other oars are guided; -- called also stroke oar. (c) The rower who pulls the stroke oar; the strokesman.
  10. A powerful or sudden effort by which something is done, produced, or accomplished; also, something done or accomplished by such an effort; as, a stroke of genius; a stroke of business; a master stroke of policy.
  11. (Mach.) The movement, in either direction, of the piston plunger, piston rod, crosshead, etc., as of a steam engine or a pump, in which these parts have a reciprocating motion; as, the forward stroke of a piston; also, the entire distance passed through, as by a piston, in such a movement; as, the piston is at half stroke. ✍ The respective strokes are distinguished as up and down strokes, outward and inward strokes, forward and back strokes, the forward stroke in stationary steam engines being toward the crosshead, but in locomotives toward the front of the vehicle.
  12. Power; influence. Obs. "Where money beareth [hath] all the stroke." Robynson (More's Utopia).
    He has a great stroke with the reader. Dryden.
  13. Appetite. Obs. Swift.
    The oars where silver, Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke. Shak.
Stroke transitive verb
Etymology
OE. stroken, straken, AS. stracian, fr. strican to go over, pass. See Strike, v. t., and cf. Straggle.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Strokeed ; present participle & verbal noun Strokeing
Definitions
  1. To strike. Obs.
    Ye mote with the plat sword again Stroken him in the wound, and it will close. Chaucer.
  2. To rib gently in one direction; especially, to pass the hand gently over by way of expressing kindness or tenderness; to caress; to soothe.
    He dried the falling drops, and, yet more kind, He stroked her cheeks. Dryden.
  3. To make smooth by rubbing. Longfellow.
  4. (Masonry) To give a finely fluted surface to.
  5. To row the stroke oar of; as, to stroke a boat.

Webster 1913