1
as in caressed
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
the young mother gently stroked the sleeping child's brow and then leaned over and kissed him
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2
as in massaged
to praise too much
a politician with a special gift for stroking fat-cat donors
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Recent Examples of stroked
In her first varsity at-bat the next day against Lincoln-Way Central, Krauchun stroked a single up the middle.
—
Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Ferrer then went back to the sinker, placed the 98 mph pitch on the outside edge of the plate and Merrill stroked it to left, clearing the bases for a walk-off win in front the remnants of a sellout crowd of 46,095.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Assisted by Godo, Guessand coolly stroked the ball past Jo Hyeon-woo in the South Korea net from inside the box in the 35th minute.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
One contestant in a Travis Kelce butt cut leaped over an ironing board; another held a tape measure to his crotch and stroked it.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
At the end of the table, Faris, an Iranian refugee who had ended up on drugs, stroked a glass of tea.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Influenced by her Indian heritage, Japanese craft philosophy, and the traditions of Shetland knitting, her work is highly distinctive and also wholly wearable; David and I stroked scarves, asymmetric wraps, and sweaters with yearning.
—Sarah Moss, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Ferrer then went back to the sinker, placed the 98 mph pitch on the outside edge of the plate and Merrill stroked it to left, clearing the bases for a walk-off win in front the remnants of a sellout crowd of 46,095.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Assisted by Godo, Guessand coolly stroked the ball past Jo Hyeon-woo in the South Korea net from inside the box in the 35th minute.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday.
—CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
One contestant in a Travis Kelce butt cut leaped over an ironing board; another held a tape measure to his crotch and stroked it.
—Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
At the end of the table, Faris, an Iranian refugee who had ended up on drugs, stroked a glass of tea.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Influenced by her Indian heritage, Japanese craft philosophy, and the traditions of Shetland knitting, her work is highly distinctive and also wholly wearable; David and I stroked scarves, asymmetric wraps, and sweaters with yearning.
—Sarah Moss, Travel + Leisure, 11 Jan. 2026
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.
—Chris Brennan, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroked
Verb
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Electric Bleu is French food caressed with California seasonality and the occasional pop of Aussie nostalgia.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
In a video shared by the Broncos from the unveiling, Smith is seen carefully caressed the statue of her son's face just after the curtain drops.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Does all kale need to be massaged?—
Zoe Denenberg,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Apr. 2026
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Davidson said four staff members massaged about two gallons of canola oil onto Elmer for seven hours while feeding him occasionally.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Next to Hofferth, Adam Johnson patted a projector.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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Wembanyama tumbled to the court and remained down for a minute while George patted him on the backside apologetically.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In his post-match press conference, Arteta praised the courage of his players to play short, even after the Emirates crowd weren’t pleased with how that first move failed.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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The outlet praised a few heartier combinations, such as the Steakhouse Salad Stuffer, but argued against the value.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After Biles qualified for her third Olympic Games, Owens congratulated his wife with a kiss while holding a cutout of her face.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
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Lush’s other co-founder, Mark Constantine, reviewed these lackluster bars and congratulated the pair on inventing something new(ish… solid was historically the norm in body and hair care up until plastic bottles took over).—
Kara McGrath,
Allure,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hunt commended the crews involved for their teamwork.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Walker commended Polis for his emphasis on mitigation and for preventing claims or reducing their severity.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Was any draft decision of this team’s past quarter-century applauded more than Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert?—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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The audience laughed and applauded.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bake in preheated oven until cookies have puffed and are set around edges, but slightly soft in center, about 11 minutes, rotating pans from top to bottom halfway through.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
9 Apr. 2026
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What emerged was an omelet of ideal and epitomic shape—straight, proudly puffed, about six and a half inches long and two and a half inches wide, with squarish ends and neither a speck nor drop of oil or liquid egg anywhere around.—
Jeffrey Steingarten,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stroked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stroked. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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