- stroke
- stroke1 S3 [strəuk US strouk] n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(illness)¦2¦(swimming/rowing)¦3¦(sport)¦4¦(pen/brush)¦5 at a/one stroke6 on the stroke of seven/nine etc7 stroke of luck/fortune8 stroke of genius/inspiration etc9¦(hit)¦10¦(a movement of your hand)¦11 with/at a stroke of the pen12 not do a stroke (of work)13 stroke of lightning14¦(clock/bell)¦15 put somebody off their stroke16¦(in numbers)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Date: 1200-1300; Origin: Probably from an unrecorded Old English strac]1.) ¦(ILLNESS)¦if someone has a stroke, an ↑artery (=tube carrying blood) in their brain suddenly bursts or becomes blocked, so that they may die or be unable to use some muscles▪ She died following a massive stroke.have/suffer a stroke▪ I looked after my father after he had a stroke.▪ a stroke patient2.) ¦(SWIMMING/ROWING)¦a) one of a set of movements in swimming or rowing in which you move your arms or the ↑oar forward and then back▪ She swam with strong steady strokes.b) a style of swimming or rowing▪ the breast stroke3.) ¦(SPORT)¦▪ a backhand stroke4.) ¦(PEN/BRUSH)¦a) a single movement of a pen or brush when you are writing or painting▪ A few strokes of her pen brought out his features clearly.b) a line made by a pen or brush▪ the thick downward strokes of the characters5.) at a/one strokewith a single sudden action▪ At one stroke the country lost two outstanding leaders.6.) on the stroke of seven/nine etcat exactly seven o'clock etc▪ She arrived home on the stroke of midnight.▪ The only goal of the match came on the stroke of half-time.7.) stroke of luck/fortunesomething lucky that happens to you unexpectedly▪ In a stroke of luck, a suitable organ donor became available.8.) stroke of genius/inspiration etca very good idea about what to do to solve a problem▪ It was a stroke of genius to film the movie in Toronto.9.) ¦(HIT)¦an action of hitting someone with something such as a whip or thin stick▪ He cried out at each stroke of the whip.10.)¦(A MOVEMENT OF YOUR HAND)¦a gentle movement of your hand over something▪ I gave her hair a gentle stroke .11.) with/at a stroke of the penif someone in authority does something with a stroke of the pen, they sign an official document to make a decision with important and serious results▪ He had the power to order troops home with a stroke of his pen.12.) not do a stroke (of work)BrE informal to not do any work at all13.) stroke of lightninga bright flash of lightning, especially one that hits something14.) ¦(CLOCK/BELL)¦a single sound made by a clock giving the hours, or by a bell, ↑gong etc15.) put sb off their strokeBrE informal to make someone stop giving all their attention to what they are doing▪ Seeing Frank watching me put me off my stroke.16.) ¦(IN NUMBERS)¦BrE used when you are saying a number written with the mark (/) in it= ↑slash▪ The serial number is seventeen stroke one. (=17/1)stroke 2stroke2 v [T][Sense: 1-2,4; Origin: Old English stracian][Sense: 3; Date: 1900-2000; Origin: STROKE1]1.) to move your hand gently over something▪ He reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly.2.) [always + adverb/preposition]to move something somewhere with gentle movements of your hand▪ He lifted her face and stroked her hair from her eyes.3.) [always + adverb/preposition]to hit or kick a ball with a smooth movement in games such as tennis, golf, and ↑cricket▪ He stroked the ball into an empty net with a minute to go.4.) stroke sb's egoto say nice things to someone to make them feel good, especially because you want something from them
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.
