1
as in caressing
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
Relevance
2
as in massaging
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stroking
No one wants to follow an ego-stroking social media account with zero content value.
—
Peter Boyd, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
In the black-and-white video, Kelly could be seen holding his baby's hand, stroking her fingers.
—Sarah Jones, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Too long submerged in suppressed grief, Zilpha now came up from its depth like any swimmer stroking toward light and sweet air.
—Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Peter Boyd, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
In the black-and-white video, Kelly could be seen holding his baby's hand, stroking her fingers.
—Sarah Jones, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Too long submerged in suppressed grief, Zilpha now came up from its depth like any swimmer stroking toward light and sweet air.
—Annie Proulx, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroking
Verb
-
The Young Pope star was seen caressing Coan’s back and whispering in her ear.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The singer was spotted in pictures shared to social media, gently caressing the baby bump of his romantic partner.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
3 Sep. 2019
Verb
-
Work it into the fabric by massaging it with the pads of your fingers or by rubbing the fabric against itself.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
-
First, folks milk venom from snakes by massaging their venom glands into glass containers.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Keep your greens crisp by draining, rinsing, and patting them dry before using.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
2 Sep. 2025
-
At times, its puzzle-solving and chaotic arcade shooting felt like patting your head while rubbing your stomach.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The update sparked further discussion in the thread, with many praising the shopper for doing the right thing.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
While praising Vandersloot’s abilities and leadership, Reese balked at the prospect of building the roster around a point guard attempting to return from an ACL tear at age 36.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, Murphy drafted a resolution commending the students’ efforts and shared it with them.—
Teri Cadeau,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The two remain good friends, with Dawson even congratulating Booker on his recent engagement.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
3 Sep. 2025
-
What To Know On Thursday Obama shared an X post from the official Democratic Party account congratulating Drey on her victory.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
More Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images Kardashian's comments sparked debate, with some parents applauding her stance and others questioning whether less homework might come at the expense of academic rigor.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Thousands of spectators rose to give Williams a standing ovation; Townsend and Siniaková then joined in, applauding for Williams.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This method of deep fueling is more effective at raising the plasma’s core density compared to puffing gas from the vessel’s edge.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Aug. 2025
-
And that’s stirred up more discussions about getting labia puffing or labiaplasty to deal with these effects.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stroking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stroking. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share