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STROKE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A light touch with the hands
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
touch; touching (the act of putting two things together with no space between them)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
caress (a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it))
Derivation:
stroke (touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A single complete movement
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
key stroke; keystroke (the stroke of a key; one depression of a key on a keyboard)
beat (a stroke or blow)
bow (a stroke with a curved piece of wood with taut horsehair strands that is used in playing stringed instruments)
blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
Example:
he left me an almost impossible shot
Synonyms:
shot; stroke
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
maneuver; manoeuvre; play (a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity and skill)
Meronyms (parts of "stroke"):
follow-through (the act of carrying a stroke to its natural completion)
Domain category:
athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
break (the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or pool)
cannon; carom (a shot in billiards in which the cue ball contacts one object ball and then the other)
masse; masse shot (a shot in billiards made by hitting the cue ball with the cue held nearly vertically; the cue ball spins around another ball before hitting the object ball)
miscue (a faulty shot in billiards; the cue tip slips off the cue ball)
cut; undercut ((sports) a stroke that puts reverse spin on the ball)
swipe (a sweeping stroke or blow)
tennis shot; tennis stroke (the act of hitting a tennis ball with a tennis racket)
baseball swing; cut; swing (in baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball)
golf shot; golf stroke; swing (the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it)
Derivation:
stroke (strike a ball with a smooth blow)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Any one of the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
locomotion; travel (self-propelled movement)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
swimming stroke (a method of moving the arms and legs to push against the water and propel the swimmer forward)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A mark made on a surface by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush
Example:
she applied the paint in careful strokes
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
mark; print (a visible indication made on a surface)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
downstroke (a stroke normally made in a downward direction)
upstroke (a stroke normally made in an upward direction)
flick (a short stroke)
underline; underscore (a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter))
Sense 6
Meaning:
A punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of information
Synonyms:
diagonal; separatrix; slash; solidus; stroke; virgule
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
punctuation; punctuation mark (the marks used to clarify meaning by indicating separation of words into sentences and clauses and phrases)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause
Example:
it was due to an accident or fortuity
Synonyms:
accident; chance event; fortuity; stroke
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
hap (an accidental happening)
break; good luck; happy chance (an unexpected piece of good luck)
coincidence; happenstance (an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental)
lottery (something that is regarded as a chance event)
Sense 8
Meaning:
The maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam
Synonyms:
cam stroke; stroke; throw
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
instroke (the stroke of an engine piston moving away from the crankshaft)
outstroke (the stroke of an engine piston moving toward the crankshaft)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A light touch
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
touch; touching (the event of something coming in contact with the body)
Derivation:
stroke (touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions)
Sense 10
Meaning:
The oarsman nearest the stern of the shell who sets the pace for the rest of the crew
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
oarsman; rower (someone who rows a boat)
Derivation:
stroke (row at a particular rate)
Sense 11
Meaning:
(golf) the unit of scoring in golf is the act of hitting the ball with a club
Example:
Nicklaus won by three strokes
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
score (a number that expresses the accomplishment of a team or an individual in a game or contest)
Domain category:
golf; golf game (a game played on a large open course with 9 or 18 holes; the object is use as few strokes as possible in playing all the holes)
Sense 12
Meaning:
A sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain
Synonyms:
apoplexy; cerebrovascular accident; CVA; stroke
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("stroke" is a kind of...):
attack (a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition)
Meronyms (parts of "stroke"):
cerebral hemorrhage (bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroke"):
ischaemic stroke; ischemic stroke (the most common kind of stroke; caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the brain (as from a clot blocking a blood vessel))
haemorrhagic stroke; hemorrhagic stroke (stroke caused by the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they stroke ... he / she / it strokes
Past simple: stroked
Past participle: stroked
-ing form: stroking
Sense 1
Meaning:
Treat gingerly or carefully
Example:
You have to stroke the boss
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Hypernyms (to "stroke" is one way to...):
blandish; flatter (praise somewhat dishonestly)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s somebody
Sentence example:
Sam cannot stroke Sue
Sense 2
Meaning:
Strike a ball with a smooth blow
Classified under:
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities
Hypernyms (to "stroke" is one way to...):
hit; strike (make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
stroke ((sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Row at a particular rate
Classified under:
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities
Hypernyms (to "stroke" is one way to...):
row (propel with oars)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Derivation:
stroke (the oarsman nearest the stern of the shell who sets the pace for the rest of the crew)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions
Example:
He stroked his long beard
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "stroke" is one way to...):
touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "stroke"):
caress; fondle (touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner)
lap; lick (pass the tongue over)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Derivation:
stroke (a light touch with the hands)
stroke (a light touch)
stroking (a light touch with the hands)
Context examples:
A substance being studied in the treatment of cancer and certain brain conditions such as Alzheimer disease and stroke.
(Bryostatin 1, NCI Dictionary)
Other risk factors include older age and diseases like diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
(Peripheral Arterial Disease, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Loss of brain cells, which happens if you suffer a stroke, can affect your ability to think clearly.
(Brain Diseases, NIH)
Most paralysis is due to strokes or injuries such as spinal cord injury or a broken neck.
(Paralysis, NIH)
When he glanced up again, Alleyne had, with a few bold strokes of the brush, tinted in a woman's face and neck upon the white sheet in front of him.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“What a stroke of luck! Quick, madam, bring it here!”
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
But I'll not keep you sitting up late to-night, said she; it is on the stroke of twelve now, and you have been travelling all day: you must feel tired.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
The active ingredient in a drug used to lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood and to prevent stroke, heart attack, and angina (chest pain).
(Atorvastatin, NCI Dictionary)
When bleeding occurs, the signs and symptoms are similar to those in stroke.
(Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation, NCI Thesaurus)
Balance disorders can be signs of other health problems, such as an ear infection or a stroke.
(Balance Problems, NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
