1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

stroke 1 of 2

noun

Definition of strokenext
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

stroke

2 of 2

verb

ˈstrōk How to pronounce stroke (audio)
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
Noun
One study of 12 healthy young adults found that appropriately timed intermittent pneumatic compression increased leg blood flow by about 52 mL/min during exercise and 59 mL/min during recovery, while also boosting stroke volume. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026 Calvert-Lewin then grabbed his fourth goal in four games on the stroke of halftime. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
Medina cuts the ball back, Almada dummies it intelligently and, when the ball reaches him, Messi has enough space to stroke a first-time shot into the net. — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 24 June 2026 But Argentina’s talisman stroked it wide of the net. — David Hickey, NBC news, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for stroke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroke
  1. blow
  2. caress
  3. massage
  4. swipe
  5. pat
  6. puff
  7. thump
  8. congratulate
Noun
  • There have been plenty of in-game rotations, promising combinations, fluidity and creativity, but without the delivery of a final hammer blow.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The residents had sustained another blow when my friend, John Ahern, was a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103 that exploded on December 21, 1988 from a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of blow
Verb
  • Breasts are caressed and thighs crisscross; kisses are planted, and occasionally there’s a glimpse of something more graphic.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In one video, pop singer Madison Beer was seen caressing Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's face as if the two were shooting a scene straight out of a reality show.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of caress
Verb
  • These included cleaning, caring for Chong’s children and massaging his feet without pay, 7NEWS reported.
    — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The 24-time Grand Slam champion appeared to suffer a cramp in his left foot, threw up, and took a medical time-out to have his back massaged between the fourth and fifth sets before losing to Argentine player Mariano Navone.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of massage
Noun
  • Last month, Vance hurled himself into an obscure debate over burrito prices to make a gratuitous swipe at a conservative Washington Post columnist’s weight.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
  • For those who take pride in their pouty lips (or their ability to talk their way out of just about anything), a swipe of lipstick and nothing else is a cool way to look put together without the hustle of actually putting yourself together.
    — Loren Savini, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of swipe
Verb
  • Use paper towels to pat the halibut cubes dry, then transfer to a medium bowl.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and pat them dry (the key to getting them crispy).
    — Jennifer Berger, Verywell Health, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of pat
Verb
  • Ever since the German medical scientist Franz Hermann Müller published solid evidence of a link between smoking and lung cancer in 1939, the health risks of puffing on tobacco have only become clearer.
    — Mike McRae September 10, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Bake until the focaccia is set and slightly puffed and registers an internal temperature of 190°F, 18 to 22 minutes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of puff
Noun
  • If those ground tests show the jet’s acoustic thump is soft enough for suburban skies, NASA plans to fly the X-59 over several US communities to gather public feedback.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Their pitching is good, Griffin Jax could return soon, and Liam Hicks has added some thump to a lineup previously built around three really good hitters (Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda) and a bunch of do-your-job role players.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of thump
Verb
  • When Reddick won the Daytona 500 in February, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell and chief operating officer Ben Kennedy were among the first to congratulate Jordan, the trio embracing in a hall outside Jordan’s suite.
    — Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But for now, let’s all giggle at how fully Naheim ignored Bryan when going to congratulate Jude.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of congratulate

Phrases Containing stroke

Browse Nearby Words

strode
stroke
stroked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stroke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stroke. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on stroke

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stroke

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of facsimile

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All