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    stroke

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    stroke
    I
    stroke1 S3 /strəʊk $ stroʊk/ noun [countable]
     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 patient
    2.  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 stroke
    3.  SPORT the action of hitting the ball in games such as tennis, golf, and cricket:
        a backhand stroke
    4.  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 characters
    5. at a/one stroke with a single sudden action:
        At one stroke, the country lost two outstanding leaders.
    6. on the stroke of seven/nine etc at 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/fortune something lucky that happens to you unexpectedly:
        In a stroke of luck, a suitable organ donor became available.
    8. stroke of genius/inspiration etc a 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 pen if 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) British English informal to not do any work at all
    13. stroke of lightning a bright flash of lightning, especially one that hits something
    14.  CLOCK/BELL a single sound made by a clock giving the hours, or by a bell, gong etc
    15. put somebody off their stroke British English 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 British English used when you are saying a number written with the mark (/) in it
       SYN  slash:
        The serial number is seventeen stroke one (=17/1).
         
    COLLOCATIONS
    ■ verbs
       ▪ have/suffer a stroke My father had a stroke.
       ▪ a stroke leaves somebody paralysed (=someone can no longer move as the result of a stroke) Two years later she had a stroke which left her paralysed.
    ■ adjectives
       ▪ a massive/major stroke (=one that has very bad effects) Her brother has just died of a massive stroke.
       ▪ a minor/mild stroke (=one that does not have very bad effects) She had a minor stroke five years ago.
       ▪ a fatal stroke (=one that kills someone) He suffered a fatal stroke in April.
    ■ stroke + NOUN
       ▪ a stroke patient/victim Some stroke victims recover fully.

    II
    stroke2 verb [transitive]
     Sense 1-2,4
     Language: Old English
     Origin: 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 ego to say nice things to someone to make them feel good, especially because you want something from them
         
    THESAURUS
    ■ touch somebody gently or lovingly
       ▪ stroke to move your hand gently over something, especially in a loving way: She stroked the child’s hair. | Our cat won’t let people stroke him.
       ▪ pat to touch an animal or child lightly several times, with your hand flat: He knelt down to pat the dog. | She patted the little boy’s head.
       ▪ pet to touch and move your hand gently over someone, especially an animal or child: The goats, pigs, sheep, and cows here allow you to pet them.
       ▪ caress /kəˈres/ to gently touch a part of someone’s body in a loving way: a mother caressing her child | She caressed his cheek.
       ▪ fondle to touch a part of someone’s body in a loving or sexual way – use this especially about touching someone in a sexual way that is not wanted: He tried to fondle her and she immediately pulled away from him.