I. ˈstrōk transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English stroken, from Old English strācian; akin to Middle Dutch streken to stroke, Old High German streihhōn to stroke, strihhan to pass over lightly, smooth — more at strike
1.
a. : to rub gently in one direction
stroking his beard
stroke a cat's fur
b. : to pass the hand over gently in kindness or tenderness : caress , soothe
2.
a. : to smooth or arrange by repeatedly drawing the hand or a tool over or through
b. : to draw across a surface repeatedly in order to sharpen : whet , hone
3. : to draw milk from (as a cow) especially by stripping
4. : to give a finely fluted surface to (a stone)
•
- stroke the wrong way
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English stroke, strake; akin to Middle Low German strek stroke, Middle High German streich, Old English strīcan to move, pass over lightly, stroke — more at strike
1. : the act of striking with the hand ; especially : a deliberately aimed swinging blow with a weapon or implement
no man could withstand his sword stroke
dealt him several stinging strokes with the whip
ringing strokes of the ax
2. : a single unbroken movement without pause or reversal of direction
sketched a likeness with a few strokes of a pencil
especially : one of a series of repeated or to-and-fro movements
strokes of a pendulum
painting with firm level strokes
3.
a. : a blow on a drum ; especially : a full accented beat as distinguished from a tap or a roll
b. : a striking of the ball in a game (as cricket, billiards, tennis)
c. : the act of striking or attempting to strike the ball that constitutes the scoring unit in golf
win a match by two strokes
accepted a penalty stroke for lifting the ball out of an unplayable lie
a 10- stroke handicap
4. : a sudden action or process producing an impact
stroke of lightning
or a quick or unexpected result
stroke of fortune
stroke of luck
5.
a. obsolete : the result or effect of a blow : injury
b.
(1) : apoplexy
(2) : little stroke
6.
a. : one of a series of propelling beats or movements against a resisting medium
wing stroke of a bird
swimming stroke
paddling with quick, stabbing strokes
a rowing pace of 30 strokes to the minute
b. : the member of a rowing crew who sits nearest the stern and sets the tempo for the other rowers
7.
a. : a vigorous or energetic effort by which something is done, produced, or accomplished
brilliant diplomatic stroke
without doing a stroke of work
stroke of genius
b. Britain : a gratifying quantity of work or business
c. : a delicate or clever touch in a narrative or description or construction : a well-turned phrase or a deftly managed bit of plotting
d. : a series of moves and exchanges (in chess and checkers) resulting in a clear advantage for one side
8.
a. : a movement of the arm or baton in beating time
b. : the movement of the bow in one direction on a stringed instrument
c. : heartbeat
9.
a. : the movement in either direction of a mechanical part (as a piston plunger, piston rod, crosshead) having a reciprocating motion
b. : the entire distance passed through in such a movement
the piston is at half stroke
ratio of piston stroke to bore of a cylinder
10. : the sound of a bell being struck
at the stroke of twelve
11. obsolete : method or manner of touching or playing a musical instrument ; also : melody
12.
[ stroke (I) ]
: an act of stroking or caressing
the stroke of wind and water on land — Russell Lord
13.
a. : a mark or dash made by a single movement of an implement (as a pen, engraving tool, or brush)
the stroke dividing numerator and denominator in the fraction 3/4
b. obsolete : a distinguishing feature : characteristic
c. : one of the lines of a letter of the alphabet or other graphic character
a typeface having great contrast between thick and thin strokes
Bodoni has a lively quality caused by the contrast of the heavy strokes and the hairlines — W.S.Cowell
d. : a heavy line connecting the stems of two or more notes in a musical notation
14. : the truth-functional operator that is the constant element in an alternative denial, that is commonly interpreted as “not both”, that is symbolized ], and that can be used alone with only propositional symbols to construct a formally complete propositional calculus
the alternative denial p]q is read p stroke q
•
- at a stroke
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1.
a. : to mark with a short line
dotted the i 's and stroked the t 's
b. : to cancel by drawing a line through — used usually with out
stroked out the last name on the list
c. : to join the stems of (musical notes) by a stroke
2. : to set the stroke for (the crew of a rowing boat) : set the stroke for the crew of (a rowing boat) : row as stroke of
3. : hit
stroke a single over second base
especially : to propel (a ball) with a controlled swinging blow
stroke a cue ball in billiards
4. : to strike (a key) in typewriting
intransitive verb
1. : to execute a stroke
polo team showed bold riding and accurate stroking
2.
a. : to pull an oar or serve as stroke
stroked for the freshman crew — Current Biography
b. : to row at a certain number of strokes a minute
the crew was stroking at 32
3. : to strike the keys in typewriting
the clean, even stroking is desirable for good impressions
IV. transitive verb
: to flatter or treat solicitously especially in order to reassure or persuade
a gift for stroking the … bankers to whom he resold those loans — Roy Rowan