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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of strokes
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
Prolonged or acute exposure to smoke has been known to trigger heart attacks, strokes and other serious respiratory illnesses.
—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
Start at one end of the sidewalk and move the pressure washer evenly with overlapping strokes.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
Twelve players, Scheffler included, will come into Friday’s second round within two strokes of the lead.
—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2026
Her mother connected on Facebook with Dawson Oliver, a Texas teen who had multiple strokes at 16 and had also gone through rehab at TIRR.
—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
Just be sure to spray in the right places rather than taking a broad strokes approach.
—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
23 June 2026
Woodland won the Texas Open by five strokes over Nicolai Hojgaard.
—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
Clark entered this week ranked 62nd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and 94th in strokes gained off the tee.
—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
21 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
Even when words had a short /u/ vowel, spellings like wulf, wud and wunder would have been too confusing in the era of manuscript writing, what with its rows of upright quill strokes.
—
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
Prolonged or acute exposure to smoke has been known to trigger heart attacks, strokes and other serious respiratory illnesses.
—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2026
Start at one end of the sidewalk and move the pressure washer evenly with overlapping strokes.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 June 2026
Twelve players, Scheffler included, will come into Friday’s second round within two strokes of the lead.
—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
25 June 2026
Her mother connected on Facebook with Dawson Oliver, a Texas teen who had multiple strokes at 16 and had also gone through rehab at TIRR.
—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
Just be sure to spray in the right places rather than taking a broad strokes approach.
—
Heather Bien,
The Spruce,
23 June 2026
Woodland won the Texas Open by five strokes over Nicolai Hojgaard.
—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
Clark entered this week ranked 62nd on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting and 94th in strokes gained off the tee.
—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
21 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
-
Salicylic acid works deep within pores to tackle buildup, while lactic acid smooths rough texture and refines skin’s surface, leaving skin looking clearer and feeling smoother in just a few swipes.
-
Clark and Bonner famously got into it during a physical postseason clash in 2024, including shoves and swipes.
Verb
-
The Princess Diaries star smiles, caresses her belly, then ducks out of the frame.
-
Those of us with a penchant for fashion have managed—not without effort—to put aside the knowing glances, caresses, and hugs to take in every detail of the look.
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.
-
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.
Noun
-
Onaje died four days later — having suffered fatal brain hemorrhaging from multiple blows to his skull.
-
Officers said that Samartino quickly assessed the situation and immediately began administering back blows to the infant.
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.
-
Mama pats Rafa’s head then ruffles his hair.
Verb
-
An active Sun puffs up Earth’s atmosphere, creating higher drag for satellites in low-Earth orbit.
-
With its telltale cone shape, the northernmost of Sicily's Aeolian Islands is home to a volcano that puffs on a near-constant basis.
Noun
-
The Los Angeles singer-songwriter’s latest is a crisp and candid twee pop record with unexpected studio touches and gut punches.
-
No such punches could be seen on the video.
Verb
-
Ornatov praises this cleaner for its ability to dissolve and absorb the mess, which keeps you from having to scrub the same spot repeatedly—time saved, effort reduced.
-
Thorne wasn’t on set when the scene was filmed but praises Munden for his visual approach to the emotional moment.
Cite this Entry
“Strokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strokes. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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