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
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Recent Examples of stroke
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The impact of snow removal is especially concerning for those with existing cardiovascular risks and a history of heart attack or stroke, according to the cardiologist.
—Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Allison Aubrey, NPR, 17 Dec. 2025
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stroke
Noun
Our understanding of how their brains tolerate hypothermia and ischemia has informed research efforts, as well as life-saving treatments, for stroke, cardiac arrest and traumatic brain injury.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The impact of snow removal is especially concerning for those with existing cardiovascular risks and a history of heart attack or stroke, according to the cardiologist.
—Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Research shows the risk of stroke also rises this time of year, and strokes present differently than heart attacks.
—Allison Aubrey, NPR, 17 Dec. 2025
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stroke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroke
Noun
-
Reigns flipped Gunther onto the edge of the ring and went for the knockout blow, but it was countered.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
After being victimized by a pair of Bulls blow-bys in his initial stint, there was no additional stint, with Jovic instead moved up when Adebayo went out.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The actor followed her around at several events related to the wedding, eventually caressing the back of her arm and pressing his knee against hers under the table.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Make your way to your belly button and massage the center of your stomach for a couple of minutes.—
Julia Ries Wexler,
SELF,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The other two guys, who are wearing undies when not getting massaged, are giving the lightest and most cursory of touches to either the shoulders or the calves.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Things have been bad between Bass and Horvath for more than a year, with the two Democrats taking veiled, and sometimes not-so-veiled, swipes at each other.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The final touch was a couple of swipes of Huda Beauty’s Power Bullet Matte Lipstick* in the shade—wait for it—Honeymoon.—
Jesa Marie Calaor,
Allure,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Inside the facility, Angela empties her pockets, a guard scans her with a metal-detection wand, pats her down and asks her to spread her legs.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
-
After a short conversation, the two patted each other on the head a couple of times and separated, each heading toward his respective locker room.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Think pastels, dainty embroidery, empire silhouettes, delicate lace, intricate brocade, puff sleeves and, yes, plenty of bling.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Accentuating her features with her signature brown smoky eyeshadow, matte mauve lipstick, and a pink flush on her cheekbones, Kylie puffed on a cigarette and gazed into the camera’s lens as the shot faded to black.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Director Ric Roman Waugh has a nice, gritty visual style and the fists and bullets land hard here, less stylish balletic and more thump thump.—
Mark Kennedy,
Boston Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, neighbors can still hear the thumps.—
Tyler Jett,
Des Moines Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Backstage, Finn Balor congratulated Punk and thanked him for giving him his flowers last week.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The idea that Henie actually had a romantic relationship with Hitler is widely disputed; the ice princess and the dictator did, however, reportedly go to lunch after Hitler congratulated her rinkside on winning her third Olympic title.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stroke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stroke. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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