Noun

(wikipedia stroke) (en noun)

An act of (gloss, moving one's hand over a surface).

A blow or hit.

* Bible, Deuteronomy xix. 5

His hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree.

* Francis Bacon

He entered and won the whole kingdom of Naples without striking a stroke .

A single movement with a tool.

# (golf) A single act of striking at the ball with a club.

# (tennis) The hitting of a ball with a racket, or the movement of the racket and arm that produces that impact.

# (rowing) The movement of an oar or paddle through water, either the pull which actually propels the vessel or a single entire cycle of movement including the pull.

# (cricket) The action of hitting the ball with the bat; a shot.

# A thrust of a piston.

One of a series of beats or movements against a resisting medium, by means of which movement through or upon it is accomplished.

the stroke of a bird's wing in flying, or of an oar in rowing

the stroke of a skater, swimmer, etc.

A powerful or sudden effort by which something is done, produced, or accomplished; also, something done or accomplished by such an effort.

a stroke''' of genius; a '''stroke''' of business; a master '''stroke of policy

A line drawn with a pen or other writing implement.

# (hence, British) The symbol .

# (linguistics) A line of a Chinese, Japanese or Korean character.

The time when a clock strikes.

* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 9, author=John Percy, work=the Telegraph

, title= Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report , passage=Already guarding a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Blackpool inched further ahead when Stephen Dobbie scored from an acute angle on the stroke of half-time. The game appeared to be completely beyond Birmingham’s reach three minutes into the second period when Matt Phillips reacted quickly to bundle the ball past Colin Doyle and off a post.}}

(swimming) A style, a single movement within a style.

* , chapter=7

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.}}

(medicine) The loss of brain function arising when the blood supply to the brain is suddenly interrupted.

(obsolete) A sudden attack of any disease, especially when fatal; any sudden, severe affliction or calamity.

a stroke''' of apoplexy; the '''stroke of death

* Harte

At this one stroke the man looked dead in law.

(rowing) The rower who is nearest the stern of the boat.

(rowing) The oar nearest the stern of a boat, by which the other oars are guided.

(professional wrestling) Backstage influence.

(squash) A point awarded to a player in case of interference or obstruction by the opponent.

(sciences) An individual discharge of lightning.

A flash of lightning may be made up of several strokes . If they are separated by enough time for the eye to distinguish them, the lightning will appear to flicker.

(obsolete) The result or effect of a striking; injury or affliction; soreness.

* Bible, Isa. xxx. 26

in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound

An addition or amendment to a written composition; a touch.

to give some finishing strokes to an essay

(Addison)

A throb or beat, as of the heart.

(Tennyson)

(obsolete) Power; influence.

* Robynson (More's Utopia)

where money beareth all the stroke

* Dryden

He has a great stroke with the reader.

(obsolete) appetite

(Jonathan Swift)