as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
all it took was one hard stroke to knock the ball out of the tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to caress
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
the young mother gently stroked the sleeping child's brow and then leaned over and kissed him
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to massage
to praise too much
a politician with a special gift for stroking fat-cat donors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stroke
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Reverse the same stroke, pulling the knife back towards you while maintaining the same angle.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Bowen nipped in ahead of Calvin Bassey and passed to Summerville, who advanced to stroke his fifth league goal of the season, and seventh in 10 appearances across all competitions, into the unguarded net.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stroke
Noun
Then use your squeegee in straight, overlapping strokes to remove the solution.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Reverse the same stroke, pulling the knife back towards you while maintaining the same angle.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
Gateway trailed 36-26 at that point, and a Marino 3-pointer right after the foul seemed to stroke some momentum.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Bowen nipped in ahead of Calvin Bassey and passed to Summerville, who advanced to stroke his fifth league goal of the season, and seventh in 10 appearances across all competitions, into the unguarded net.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stroke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroke
Noun
-
Virginia made one last push, cutting TCU’s lead to 65-55, but the Horned Frogs quickly delivered the knockout blow as Miles knocked down a 3 and Suarez hit sophomore center Clara Silva for a layup to end Virginia’s hopes of another upset.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and the strike was a major blow to Iran’s nuclear program.—
Farnoush Amiri,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their voices caress each other as much as their wandering fingers do as two of country music’s best collaborators each add another blockbuster duet to their repertoire.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The basis of the important therapy stems from studies showing that holding and caressing an animal provides benefits such as relaxation, lower blood pressure, decreasing anxiety, and increasing positivity, according to the news release.—
Dawn Giangiulio,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And for something more manual, The Skinny Confidential’s Le Spoon brings a gua sha–like approach to the body, designed to sculpt and massage the torso.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The easy-to-use roller design features a cooling metal applicator that gently glides across the neck's contours, massaging the lightweight formula into skin without pulling or tugging skin.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lancôme’s Lash Idôle Curl Goddess Mascara gives you longer, more curled lashes in just a few swipes.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
28 Mar. 2026
-
When Doncic reached out to push Williams’ arm, Williams responded with a backhand swipe across Doncic’s face.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While most recipes dollop the biscuits on top, this dough is patted into a rough circle and scored into scone-like wedges.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Jansen patted his catcher's mitt on Baumler's chest and the infielders offered their congratulations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bake on the middle rack of the heated oven until the top is puffed and lightly golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.—
Georgeanne Brennan,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
In the final days of their season, Tigers players both slammed bats and puffed victory cigars.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The experimental jet, part of NASA’s Quesst mission, is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound while producing only a soft sonic thump instead of a disruptive boom.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
-
At its best, the music’s blackout-drunk thump-thump functions more like an anxious heartbeat.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a statement on Monday, Johnson congratulated King on landing the gig.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Tiafoe has been one of Baptiste’s biggest fans and congratulates her often on social media.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stroke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stroke. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
