Stroke STROKE, STROOK, for struck. STROKE, n. [from
strike.] 1. A blow; the striking of one body against another;
applicable to a club or to any heavy body, or to a rod, whip or lash. A
piece of timber falling may kill a man by its stroke; a man when whipped,
can hardly fail to flinch or wince at every stroke. Th oars were
silver, which to the time of flutes kept stroke-- 2. A hostile blow
or attack. He entered and won the whole kingdom of Naples without
striking a stroke. 3. A sudden attack of disease or affliction;
calamity. At this one stroke the man lookd dead in law. 4. Fatal
attack; as the stroke of death. 5. The sound of the clock. What
is t oclock? Upon the stroke of four. 6. The touch of a pencil.
Oh, lasting as those colors may they shine, free as thy stroke, yet
faultless as thy line. Some parts of my work have been brightened by
the strokes of your lordshipss pencil. 7. A touch; a masterly effort;
as the boldest strokes of poetry. He will give one of the finishing
strokes to it. 8. An effort suddenly or unexpectedly produced.
9. Power; efficacy. He has a great stroke with the reader, when
he condemns any of my poems, to make the world have a better opinion
of them. [I believe this sense is obsolete.] 10. A dash in
writing or printing; a line; a touch of the pen; as a hair stroke. STROKE, v.t. [See Strike and Strict.] 1. To rub gently with
the hand by way of expressing kindness or tenderness; to soothe. He
dried the falling drops, and yet more kind, he strokd her cheeks--
2. To rub gently in one direction. 3. To make smooth.
stroke
n 1: (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a
club or racket or bat or cue or hand; "it took two strokes
to get out of the bunker"; "a good shot requires good
balance and tempo"; "he left me an almost impossible shot"
[syn: stroke, shot]
2: the maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating
piece by a cam [syn: throw, stroke, cam stroke]
3: a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or
occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
[syn: stroke, apoplexy, cerebrovascular accident,
CVA]
4: a light touch
5: a light touch with the hands [syn: stroke, stroking]
6: (golf) the unit of scoring in golf is the act of hitting the
ball with a club; "Nicklaus won by three strokes"
7: the oarsman nearest the stern of the shell who sets the pace
for the rest of the crew
8: anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an
apparent cause; "winning the lottery was a happy accident";
"the pregnancy was a stroke of bad luck"; "it was due to an
accident or fortuity" [syn: accident, stroke, fortuity,
chance event]
9: a punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of
information [syn: solidus, slash, virgule, diagonal,
stroke, separatrix]
10: a mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush;
"she applied the paint in careful strokes"
11: any one of the repeated movements of the limbs and body used
for locomotion in swimming or rowing
12: a single complete movement
v 1: touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions; "He
stroked his long beard"
2: strike a ball with a smooth blow
3: row at a particular rate
4: treat gingerly or carefully; "You have to stroke the boss"
stroke I. transitive verb (stroked; stroking)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English strācian; akin to
Old High German strīhhan to stroke — more at strikeDate:
before 12th century 1. to rub gently in one direction; alsocaress2. to flatter or pay attention to in a manner designed to
reassure or persuade • strokernounII. nounEtymology: Middle English; akin to Old English
strīcan to stroke — more at strikeDate: 13th century
1. the act of striking; especially a blow with a weapon or
implement 2. a single unbroken movement; especially one of
a series of repeated or to-and-fro movements 3.a. a controlled swing intended to hit a ball or shuttlecock;
also a striking of the ball b. such a stroke charged to
a player as a unit of scoring in golf
4.a. a sudden action or process producing an impact <a
stroke of lightning> b. an unexpected result <a
stroke of luck>
5. sudden diminution or loss of consciousness, sensation, and
voluntary motion caused by rupture or obstruction (as by a clot) of a
blood vessel of the brain — called also apoplexy, cerebrovascular
accident6.a. one of a series of propelling beats or movements against a
resisting medium <a stroke of the oar> b. a rower
who sets the pace for a crew
7.a. a vigorous or energetic effort by which something is
done, produced, or accomplished <a stroke of genius> <a
brilliant diplomatic stroke> b. a delicate or clever
touch in a narrative, description, or construction
8.heartbeat9. the movement in either direction of a
mechanical part (as a piston) having a reciprocating motion; also
the distance of such movement 10. the sound of a bell being struck
<at the stroke of twelve>; also the specific time
indicated by or as if by such a sound 11. [stroke (I)] an
act of stroking or caressing 12.a. a mark or dash made by a single movement of an implement b.
one of the lines of a letter of the alphabet
III. verb (stroked; stroking)
Date: 1597 transitive verb1.a. to mark with a short line <stroke
the t's> b. to cancel by drawing a line through
<stroked out his name>
2. to set the stroke for (a rowing crew); also to set the
stroke for the crew of (a rowing boat) 3.hit; especially
to propel (a ball) with a controlled swinging blow
intransitive verb1. to execute a stroke 2.
to row at a certain number of strokes a minute
stroke n. & v. --n. 1 the act or an instance of striking; a blow or hit (with a single stroke; a stroke of lightning). 2 a sudden disabling attack or loss of consciousness caused by an
interruption in the flow of blood to the brain, esp. through thrombosis; apoplexy. 3 a an action or movement esp. as one of a series. b the time or way in which such movements are done. c the
slightest such action (has not done a stroke of work). 4 the whole of the motion (of a wing, oar, etc.) until the starting-position is regained. 5 (in rowing) the mode or action of moving the oar
(row a fast stroke). 6 the whole motion (of a piston) in either direction. 7 Golf the action of hitting (or hitting at) a ball with a club, as a unit of scoring. 8 a mode of moving the arms
and legs in swimming. 9 a method of striking with the bat etc. in games etc. (played some unorthodox strokes). 10 a specially successful or skilful effort (a stroke of diplomacy). 11 a a mark
made by the movement in one direction of a pen or pencil or paintbrush. b a similar mark printed. 12 a detail contributing to the general effect in a description. 13 the sound made by a striking
clock. 14 (in full stroke oar) the oar or oarsman nearest the stern, setting the time of the stroke. 15 the act or a spell of stroking. --v.tr. 1 pass one's hand gently along the surface of
(hair or fur etc.); caress lightly. 2 act as the stroke of (a boat or crew). Phrases and idioms: at a stroke by a single action. finishing stroke a coup de grâce; a final and
fatal stroke. off one's stroke not performing as well as usual. on the stroke punctually. on the stroke of nine etc. with the clock about to strike nine etc. stroke a person down appease a person's
anger. stroke of business a profitable transaction. stroke of genius an original or strikingly successful idea. stroke of luck (or good luck) an unforeseen opportune occurrence. stroke play Golf
play in which the score is reckoned by counting the number of strokes taken for the round (cf. match play (see MATCH(1))). stroke a person (or a person's hair) the wrong way irritate a
person. Etymology: OE stracian f. Gmc, rel. to STRIKE
stroke
(strokes, stroking, stroked)Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1. If you stroke someone or something, you move your hand slowly and gently over them.
Carla, curled up on the sofa, was smoking a cigarette and stroking her cat...She walked forward and embraced him and stroked his tousled white hair.VERB: V n, V n
2. If someone has a stroke, a blood vessel in their brain bursts or becomes blocked,
which may kill them or make them unable to move one side of their body.
He had a minor stroke in 1987, which left him partly paralysed.N-COUNT: usu sing
3. The strokes of a pen or brush are the movements or marks that you make with it when
you are writing or painting.
Fill in gaps by using short, upward strokes of the pencil.N-COUNT: usu pl
4. When you are swimming or rowing, your strokes are the repeated movements that you
make with your arms or the oars.
I turned and swam a few strokes further out to sea...N-COUNT: usu pl
5. A swimming stroke is a particular style or method of swimming.
She spent hours practising the breast stroke.N-COUNT: usu sing, supp N
6. The strokes of a clock are the sounds that indicate each hour.
On the stroke of 12, fireworks suddenly exploded into the night.N-COUNT
7. In sports such as tennis, baseball, cricket, and golf, a stroke is the action of
hitting the ball.
Compton was sending the ball here, there, and everywhere with each stroke.N-COUNT
8. A stroke of luck or good fortune is something lucky that happens.
It didn't rain, which turned out to be a stroke of luck.N-SING: a N of n
9. A stroke of genius or inspiration is a very good idea that someone suddenly has.
At the time, his appointment seemed a stroke of genius.N-SING: a N of n
10. If something happens at a stroke or in one stroke, it happens suddenly and
completely because of one single action.
The disease wiped out 40 million rabbits at a stroke...How can Britain reduce its prison population in one stroke?PHRASE: PHR after v
11. If someone does not do a strokeof work, they are very lazy and do no work
at all. (INFORMAL)
I never did a stroke of work at college.PHRASE: with brd-neg, V inflects [emphasis]
stroke
strəuk n. & v. --n. 1 the act or an instance of striking; a blow or
hit (with a single stroke; a stroke of lightning). 2 a sudden disabling attack
or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the
brain, esp. through thrombosis; apoplexy. 3 a an action or movement esp. as
one of a series. b the time or way in which such movements are done. c the
slightest such action (has not done a stroke of work). 4 the whole of the
motion (of a wing, oar, etc.) until the starting-position is regained. 5
(in rowing) the mode or action of moving the oar (row a fast stroke). 6
the whole motion (of a piston) in either direction. 7 Golf the action of
hitting (or hitting at) a ball with a club, as a unit of scoring. 8 a mode
of moving the arms and legs in swimming. 9 a method of striking with the
bat etc. in games etc. (played some unorthodox strokes). 10 a specially
successful or skilful effort (a stroke of diplomacy). 11 a a mark made
by the movement in one direction of a pen or pencil or paintbrush. b a
similar mark printed. 12 a detail contributing to the general effect in a
description. 13 the sound made by a striking clock. 14 (in full stroke oar)
the oar or oarsman nearest the stern, setting the time of the stroke. 15
the act or a spell of stroking. --v.tr. 1 pass one's hand gently along the
surface of (hair or fur etc.); caress lightly. 2 act as the stroke of (a
boat or crew). øat a stroke by a single action. finishing stroke a coup de
grçce; a final and fatal stroke. off one's stroke not performing as well
as usual. on the stroke punctually. on the stroke of nine etc. with the
clock about to strike nine etc. stroke a person down appease a person's
anger. stroke of business a profitable transaction. stroke of genius an
original or strikingly successful idea. stroke of luck (or good luck)
an unforeseen opportune occurrence. stroke play Golf play in which the
score is reckoned by counting the number of strokes taken for the round
(cf. match play (see MATCH(1))). stroke a person (or a person's hair) the
wrong way irritate a person. [OE stracian f. Gmc, rel. to STRIKE]
Split shot \Split shot\ or stroke \stroke\ .
In croquet, etc., a shot or stroke in which one drives in
different directions one's own and the opponent's ball placed
in contact.
Stroke \Stroke\, n. [OE. strok, strook, strak, fr. striken. See
Strike, v. t.]
1. The act of striking; a blow; a hit; a knock; esp., a
violent or hostile attack made with the arm or hand, or
with an instrument or weapon.
His hand fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down
the tree. --Deut. xix.
5.
A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth
calleth for strokes. --Prov. xviii.
6.
He entered and won the whole kingdom of Naples
without striking a stroke. --Bacon.
2. The result of effect of a striking; injury or affliction;
soreness.
In the day that Lord bindeth up the breach of his
people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.
--Isa. xxx.
26.
3. The striking of the clock to tell the hour.
Well, but what's o'clock? - Upon the stroke of ten.
-- Well, let is strike. --Shak.
4. A gentle, caressing touch or movement upon something; a
stroking. --Dryden.
5. A mark or dash in writing or printing; a line; the touch
of a pen or pencil; as, an up stroke; a firm stroke.
O, lasting as those colors may they shine, Free as
thy stroke, yet faultless as thy line. --Pope.
6. Hence, by extension, an addition or amandment to a written
composition; a touch; as, to give some finishing strokes
to an essay. --Addison.
7. A sudden attack of disease; especially, a fatal attack; a
severe disaster; any affliction or calamity, especially a
sudden one; as, a stroke of apoplexy; the stroke of death.
At this one stroke the man looked dead in law.
--Harte.
8. A throb or beat, as of the heart. --Tennyson.
9. One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting
medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is
accomplished; as, the stroke of a bird's wing in flying,
or an oar in rowing, of a skater, swimmer, etc.; also:
(Rowing)
(a) The rate of succession of stroke; as, a quick stroke.
(b) The oar nearest the stern of a boat, by which the
other oars are guided; -- called also stroke oar.
(c) The rower who pulls the stroke oar; the strokesman.
10. A powerful or sudden effort by which something is done,
produced, or accomplished; also, something done or
accomplished by such an effort; as, a stroke of genius; a
stroke of business; a master stroke of policy.
11. (Mach.) The movement, in either direction, of the piston
plunger, piston rod, crosshead, etc., as of a steam
engine or a pump, in which these parts have a
reciprocating motion; as, the forward stroke of a piston;
also, the entire distance passed through, as by a piston,
in such a movement; as, the piston is at half stroke.
Note: The respective strokes are distinguished as up and down
strokes, outward and inward strokes, forward and back
strokes, the forward stroke in stationary steam engines
being toward the crosshead, but in locomotives toward
the front of the vehicle.
12. Power; influence. [Obs.] ``Where money beareth [hath] all
the stroke.'' --Robynson (More's Utopia).
He has a great stroke with the reader. --Dryden.
13. Appetite. [Obs.] --Swift.
To keep stroke, to make strokes in unison.
The oars where silver, Which to the tune of flutes
kept stroke. --Shak.
Stroke \Stroke\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Strokeed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Strokeing.] [OE. stroken, straken, AS. str[=a]cian, fr.
str[=i]can to go over, pass. See Strike, v. t., and cf.
Straggle.]
1. To strike. [Obs.]
Ye mote with the plat sword again Stroken him in the
wound, and it will close. --Chaucer.
2. To rib gently in one direction; especially, to pass the
hand gently over by way of expressing kindness or
tenderness; to caress; to soothe.
He dried the falling drops, and, yet more kind, He
stroked her cheeks. --Dryden.
3. To make smooth by rubbing. --Longfellow.
4. (Masonry) To give a finely fluted surface to.
5. To row the stroke oar of; as, to stroke a boat.
stroke
I. n.1. Blow, knock, rap, pat, hit, thump.
2. Attack, shock.
3. Affliction, reverse, calamity, hardship, misfortune, visitation.
4. Touch, dash, sudden effort, sudden effect.
II. v. a.
Rub gently (with the hands, in one direction).
stroke
strəuk n.
1 blow, rap, tap, thump, knock, smack, whack, swipe, slam, strike, Colloq wallop: One
stroke of the hammer and the nail went in.
2 action, motion, go, move, movement, feat, achievement: She won the leading role and
defeated her shyness at one stroke.
3 flourish, movement, gesture; mark, dash, Colloq splash: With a stroke of the pen the
man's fate was sealed.
4 beat, throb, pulse, pulsation, thump: His heart was beating at exactly 72 strokes
a minute.
5 attack, seizure, fit, apoplexy, apoplectic fit, spasm, paralytic attack or fit; Technical
embolism, thrombosis, cerebrovascular accident, aneurysm: Gerry has been incapacitated since
he had a stroke.
6 pat, touch, caress: A few strokes of her fingers on my brow and the headache was gone.
7 achievement, accomplishment, feat, act, action, work; example; touch: Your idea of
having a jazz concert to raise money is a stroke of genius.
8 bit, jot or tittle, scrap, iota, touch, stitch, hint, suggestion: You haven't done a
stroke of work all morning.
9 occurrence, happening, matter: It was just a stroke of luck that I came along when I
did. --v.
10 caress, pet, pat, fondle; massage, rub, soothe: His heart beat faster when she stroked
his hand lightly with her fingertips.
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