{
    "term": "stroke",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "an act of hitting a ball, for example with a bat or racket",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "What a beautiful stroke!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He won by two strokes *(= in golf, by taking two fewer strokes than his opponent)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He played some powerful backhand strokes throughout the game."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Sports: ball and racket sports"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fast", "quick", "slow"],
                "verb + stroke": ["play"],
                "preposition": ["by a stroke, two strokes, etc."],
                "phrases": [
                    "a stroke, two strokes, etc. ahead",
                    "a stroke, two strokes, etc. behind"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a single movement of the arm when hitting somebody/something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "His punishment was six strokes of the cane."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a single successful action or event",
            "sensetop": "stroke (of something)",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Your idea was a **stroke of genius**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was a **stroke of luck** that I found you here."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was a **bold stroke** to reveal the identity of the murderer on the first page."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She **never does a stroke (of work)** *(= never does any work)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I had a sudden stroke of inspiration."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Success"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["sudden"],
                "verb + stroke": ["have"],
                "preposition": ["at a stroke", "at one stroke", "stroke of"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a stroke of bad luck",
                    "a stroke of fortune",
                    "a stroke of good fortune"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a sudden serious illness when a blood vessel (= tube) in the brain bursts (= breaks open) or is blocked, which can cause death or the loss of the ability to move or to speak clearly",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to **have/suffer a stroke**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The stroke left him partly paralysed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Smoking increases the risk of stroke."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She had a massive stroke and lost her speech."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This regimen substantially reduces the risks of recurrent stroke."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Health problems"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["acute", "crippling", "debilitating"],
                "verb + stroke": ["have", "suffer"],
                "stroke + verb": ["leave somebody…"],
                "stroke + noun": ["patient", "survivor", "victim"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "any of a series of repeated movements in swimming or rowing",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She took a few more strokes to reach the bank."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He swam with long powerful strokes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You can't swim more than four strokes before you reach the other side."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Romanian rowers pulled ahead with fast, powerful strokes."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Transport by water"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["swim", "swimming", "long"],
                "verb + stroke": ["do", "swim"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "a style of swimming",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Butterfly is the only stroke I can't do."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Sports: water sports"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["swim", "swimming", "long"],
                "verb + stroke": ["do", "swim"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 7,
            "definition": "the person who sets the speed at which everyone in a boat rows",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Sports: water sports"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 8,
            "definition": "an act of moving your hand gently over a surface, usually several times",
            "labels": "(especially British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He gave the cat a stroke."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 9,
            "definition": "a mark made by moving a pen, brush, etc. once across a surface",
            "labels": "(figurative)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to paint with fine brush strokes"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**At the stroke of a pen** *(= by signing something)* they removed thousands of people from the welfare system."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She caught his likeness with a few bold brush strokes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I will outline in broad strokes our main ideas."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["long", "short", "broad"],
                "phrases": ["with a stroke of the pen"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 10,
            "definition": "each of the sounds made by a clock or bell giving the hours",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "At the first stroke it will be 9 o'clock exactly."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**on the stroke of** three *(= at 3 o’clock exactly)*"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "with a single immediate action",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They threatened to cancel the whole project at a stroke."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They lost half their fortune at a stroke."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to make somebody make a mistake or hesitate in what they are doing",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "My speech was going well until I was put off my stroke by an interruption."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/strəʊk/",
                "audio": "st/stroke/stroke__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/strəʊk/",
                "audio": "st/stroke/stroke__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English strācian ‘caress lightly’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch streek ‘a stroke’, German streichen ‘to stroke’, also to strike. The earliest noun sense ‘blow’ is first recorded in Middle English."
}