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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
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
2
as in massages
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 strokes
Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026
Ryan died in 2004 at age 80, having endured two strokes.
—Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
Hall has gained strokes on the greens in his three Canadian Opens.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
There remains something to be said for bold strokes.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
The leaderboard only separated late on Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or even death.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 8 June 2026
The leaderboard only separated late Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
The leaderboard only separated late on Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
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
Noun
The 31-year-old shot a final round 65 to break away from a crowded field and win by three strokes.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026
Ryan died in 2004 at age 80, having endured two strokes.
—Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026
Hall has gained strokes on the greens in his three Canadian Opens.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
There remains something to be said for bold strokes.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026
The leaderboard only separated late on Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead.
—Greg Beacham, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, or even death.
—Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 8 June 2026
The leaderboard only separated late Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
The leaderboard only separated late on Sunday after seven players began within two strokes of the lead.
—CBS News, 7 June 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
-
Leaving the current occupant of the White House unnamed, Biden reflected on his own tenure and took a few swipes at the ex-Apprentice host’s record since returning to the White House from his successor and predecessor.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
15 June 2026
-
Swift wore a similar tone on her lower lashline, plus a few swipes of mascara.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The camera caresses her, slicing her body into limbs, arcs, glints of effort.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
The center also has hydrotherapy chairs where athletes can lie as a jet of water, similar but much stronger than the jets in a jacuzzi, massages them.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 Nov. 2025
-
In a viral video shared on Instagram last Sunday under the username @whiskeytoller, the gray kitty can be seen hanging around his brother, Oakley, as his mom massages the injured area, doing his best to show his love and support.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
American and Iranian forces continued trading blows.—
Ali Vaez,
Time,
15 June 2026
-
The biggest blows came from Garcia and Starling Marte.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Each function compares itself to that function at other companies of similar scale and the functional leader pats themselves on the back for being ahead or at least not behind.—
Keith Ferrazzi,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Mama pats Rafa’s head then ruffles his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The crust puffs up nicely and isn’t as thin and cardboard-y as others, while the white cheese blend and wisp of rosemary remind me of a New York white pie slice.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Amodei might be overstating his threat, penning the AI era’s version of Kennan’s Long Telegram that puffs up an exaggerated threat.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After a first round where Steve Garcia seemed to land more punches and Lopes looked hesitant, Lopes won the bout in the second round by knockout, with a furious combination of punches, starting with a right and left hand to Garcia's face.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
-
Three days before the first punches are set to be thrown at a White House-UFC event, the South Lawn is unrecognizable.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent praises Chalamet’s performance.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Dec. 2025
-
Beyond the engineering, the couple consistently praises Grech’s craftsmanship and customer support.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
26 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strokes. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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