■ noun
1》 an act of hitting: he received three ~s of the cane.
↘ Golf an act of hitting the ball with a club, as a unit of scoring.
↘a sound made by a striking clock.
2》 a mark made by drawing a pen, pencil, or paintbrush once across paper or canvas.
↘a line forming part of a written or printed character.
↘a short diagonal line separating characters or figures.
3》 an act of stroking.
4》 one of a series of repeated movements.
↘the whole motion of a piston in either direction.
↘a style of moving the arms and legs in swimming.
↘the mode or action of moving the oar in rowing.
↘(also ~ oar ) the oarsman nearest the stern, setting the timing for the other rowers.
5》 a sudden disabling attack or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the brain.
■ verb
1》 move one's hand with gentle pressure over (a surface).
2》 N. Amer. informal manipulate by means of flattery or persuasion.
3》 act as the ~ of (a boat or crew).
Phrases
at a (or one ) ~ by a single action having immediate effect.
not (or never ) do a ~ of work do no work at all.
on the ~ of —— precisely at the specified time.
put someone off their ~ disconcert someone so that they make a mistake or hesitate.
~ of genius an outstandingly original idea.
~ of luck (or good luck ) a fortunate unexpected occurrence.
Derivatives
~able adjective
~r noun
Origin
OE strācian 'caress lightly', of Gmc origin; related to strike .