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   stroke

   /strəʊk/

   noun

   • 1. an act of hitting or striking someone or something; a blow: "he received three strokes of the cane" Similar blowhitthumpthwackpunchslapsmackweltcuffboxknockrapbuffetinformal:wallopclobbercloutwhackbashbeltsockbopbiffswipeslugarchaic:smite
   • ▪ a method of striking the ball in sports or games. Similar shothitstrike
   • ▪ an act of hitting the ball with a club, as a unit of scoring: "he won by two strokes"
   • ▪ the sound made by a striking clock: "the first stroke would belt out from the clock" Similar pealringknellstrikingding-dongboom
   • 2. a mark made by drawing a pen, pencil, or paintbrush in one direction across paper or canvas: "the paint had been applied in careful, regular strokes" Similar marklineslashsolidusvirgule
   • ▪ a line forming part of a written or printed character.
   • ▪ a short printed or written diagonal line typically separating characters or figures.
   • 3. an act of moving one's hand across a surface with gentle pressure: "massage the cream into your skin using light upward strokes"
   • 4. each of a series of movements in which something moves out of its position and back into it: "the ray swam with effortless strokes of its huge wings" Similar movementactionmotionmove
   • ▪ the whole motion of a piston in either direction.
   • ▪ the rhythm to which a series of repeated movements is performed: "the rowers sing to keep their stroke"
   • ▪ a movement of the arms and legs forming one of a series in swimming: "I slipped into the water and swam a few strokes" Similar movementactionmotionmove
   • ▪ a particular style of moving the arms and legs in swimming: "front crawl is a popular stroke"
   • ▪ (in rowing) the mode or action of moving the oar.
   • ▪ the oar or oarsman nearest the stern of a boat, setting the timing for the other rowers.
   • 5. a sudden disabling attack or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the brain, especially through thrombosis: "he was left disabled by a stroke" Similar thrombosisembolismcerebral vascular accidentCVAcerebral haemorrhageictusseizurearchaic:apoplexy

   verb

   • 1. move one's hand with gentle pressure over (a surface), typically repeatedly; caress: "he put his hand on her hair and stroked it"
   • ▪ apply (something) to a surface using a gentle movement: "she strokes blue eyeshadow on her eyelids"
   • ▪ reassure or flatter (someone), especially in order to gain their cooperation: informal North American "production executives were expert at stroking stars and brokering talent"
   • 2. act as the stroke of (a boat or crew): "he stroked the coxed four to victory"
   • 3. hit or kick (a ball) smoothly and deliberately: "Markwick stroked the ball home"

   Word Origin Old Englishstrācian ‘caress lightly’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch streek ‘a stroke’, German streichen ‘to stroke’, also to strike. The earliest noun sense ‘blow’ is first recorded in Middle English.

   Derivatives

   • 1. strokeable adjective
   • 2. stroker noun

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

   • R

     1

   • O

     1

   • K

     5

   • E

     1

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