STROKES Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

strokes 1 of 2

noun

plural of stroke

as in swipes

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

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strokes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of stroke

as in caresses

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

as in massages

to praise too much a politician with a special gift for stroking fat-cat donors

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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 strokes

Noun

On Monday, Naqvi stuck with the broad strokes of her story, repeating Morrison and Afzal’s claims that she’d been held in custody. —

Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026 Khloé’s then husband, Lamar Odom, spiraled into drug abuse, was found unconscious at a Nevada brothel called Love Ranch, and suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks while in an extended coma. —

Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 11 Mar. 2026 And the nuances between those turns and between those paint strokes and the actual artistry of it all. —

Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2026 In one of the greatest strokes of luck a woman can have, my mom and I share the same shoe size. —

Annie Blackman, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026 Eating less salt can reduce blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and strokes, especially in people with salt sensitivity. —

Merve Ceylan, Health, 9 Mar. 2026 Year by year the face is painted over by strokes of fate just like the Mona Lisa has previous images painted below its surface. —

Paul Keane, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026 Small strokes, for example, can impair blood flow to the brain and trigger what’s called vascular dementia. —

ABC News, 8 Mar. 2026 Some research has found an increase in the number of heart attacks and strokes in the days after the clocks spring forward, possibly as a result of the misaligned cortisol. —

Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 8 Mar. 2026

Verb

When Robbie first strokes the plush walls, her Cathy stares with the appropriate mix of awe and terror. —

Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Feb. 2026 For an artisanal twist, look no further than Ezcaray Matisse throw that looks as if Georgia O’Keeffe applied the paint brush strokes herself. —

Kristine Hansen, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2026 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 In the video, the cat eventually curls up in a ball and continues purring as Li strokes her head. —

Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025 Henry brushes it off as a nightmare; after Bug moves on, Beauchamp strokes the medallion and sings himself to sleep. —

Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Aug. 2025 In the town’s maternity ward, the only functioning facility of its kind for miles, Taisiya strokes Assol, her daughter born Sunday into a world where suddenly the risks of being in Sloviansk have multiplied. —

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strokes

Noun

At a whopping 108 minutes, Trump on Tuesday swung wildly between trying to reassure voters their gamble on his return to power was worth it and targeting the Democrats in the room with a series of sneers, taunts, and swipes.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
During two recent wintry swipes in North Georgia, drivers largely abided by the directive to keep off the roads.

— Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 15 Feb. 2026