stroke

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To move your hand gently over a surface, again and again.

   She stroked the cat's soft fur until it fell asleep.

2. 2
   noun

   A single movement of a pen, brush, or tool across a surface.

   The artist finished the painting with a few quick strokes of his brush.

3. 3
   noun

   A single act of hitting a ball, as in golf or tennis.

   He won the golf match by just two strokes.

4. 4
   noun

   A serious medical condition caused when blood cannot reach part of the brain.

   Her grandfather had a stroke and lost the use of his right arm.

5. 5
   noun

   One movement of an arm or leg when swimming or rowing.

   With a few strong strokes she reached the side of the pool.

Common collocations

• stroke a cat Verb + noun

The verb is derived from Middle English stroken, straken (“to caress, fondle, pat, rub, smooth, stroke; to pass something over (someone or something); to brush or rub against;”) [and other forms], from Old English strācian (“to stroke”), from Proto-West Germanic *straikōn (“to caress, stroke”), from *straik (“a line, stroke; a dash”) (see further at etymology 1) + *-ōn (suffix forming verbs from nouns). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * German streicheln (“to stroke, fondle”) * German Low German straken, strieken, strakeln, striekeln (“to stroke; caress; fondle”) * Middle Low Germa…

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