1
as in caressed
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
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2
as in massaged
to praise too much
a politician with a special gift for stroking fat-cat donors
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Recent Examples of stroked
In her first varsity at-bat the next day against Lincoln-Way Central, Krauchun stroked a single up the middle.
—
Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Ferrer then went back to the sinker, placed the 98 mph pitch on the outside edge of the plate and Merrill stroked it to left, clearing the bases for a walk-off win in front the remnants of a sellout crowd of 46,095.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
One contestant in a Travis Kelce butt cut leaped over an ironing board; another held a tape measure to his crotch and stroked it.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
At the end of the table, Faris, an Iranian refugee who had ended up on drugs, stroked a glass of tea.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Influenced by her Indian heritage, Japanese craft philosophy, and the traditions of Shetland knitting, her work is highly distinctive and also wholly wearable; David and I stroked scarves, asymmetric wraps, and sweaters with yearning.
—Sarah Moss, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
The video showed the fragile puppy wrapped in a yellow towel as Novak gently stroked her head.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Ferrer then went back to the sinker, placed the 98 mph pitch on the outside edge of the plate and Merrill stroked it to left, clearing the bases for a walk-off win in front the remnants of a sellout crowd of 46,095.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
One contestant in a Travis Kelce butt cut leaped over an ironing board; another held a tape measure to his crotch and stroked it.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
At the end of the table, Faris, an Iranian refugee who had ended up on drugs, stroked a glass of tea.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Influenced by her Indian heritage, Japanese craft philosophy, and the traditions of Shetland knitting, her work is highly distinctive and also wholly wearable; David and I stroked scarves, asymmetric wraps, and sweaters with yearning.
—Sarah Moss, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
The video showed the fragile puppy wrapped in a yellow towel as Novak gently stroked her head.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroked
Verb
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Electric Bleu is French food caressed with California seasonality and the occasional pop of Aussie nostalgia.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
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In a video shared by the Broncos from the unveiling, Smith is seen carefully caressed the statue of her son's face just after the curtain drops.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Davidson said four staff members massaged about two gallons of canola oil onto Elmer for seven hours while feeding him occasionally.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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If previous records massaged her hedonism into silky, professional-grade pop, the sound on WOR$T GIRL is all sinew and scrap metal, a leaner and meaner vehicle for acting out.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Next to Hofferth, Adam Johnson patted a projector.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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Wembanyama tumbled to the court and remained down for a minute while George patted him on the backside apologetically.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Short has previously praised his Oscar-winning costar for her demeanor on set, sharing what might surprise fans most about working with her.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
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The director praised the major American distributor at length while speaking alongside producing partner Emilie Lesclaux at this year’s Projeto Paradiso National Talent Network Meeting, held in their hometown of Recife.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated the election winner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
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Borissov conceded defeat and congratulated Radev.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wiseman commended the pilot for the mission, Victor Glover, for his composure during the reentry.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Despite how difficult sitting through the case was, the jurors commended Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez for her fairness — and lead prosecutor Abbe Rifkin for fighting so hard for Quatisha.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The United Center faithful applauded as the final horn sounded for the last time this season.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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The show then cut to the present day, where the audience applauded Plaza, whose baby bump could be seen under her navy blue dress.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bake in preheated oven until cookies have puffed and are set around edges, but slightly soft in center, about 11 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom halfway through.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
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What emerged was an omelet of ideal and epitomic shape—straight, proudly puffed, about six and a half inches long and two and a half inches wide, with squarish ends and neither a speck nor drop of oil or liquid egg anywhere around.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stroked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stroked. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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