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STROKING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A light touch with the hands
Synonyms:
stroke; stroking
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("stroking" is a kind of...):
touch; touching (the act of putting two things together with no space between them)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stroking"):
caress (a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it))
Derivation:
stroke (touch lightly and repeatedly, as with brushing motions)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb stroke
Context examples:
Challenger, like a glad father in the presence of his first-born, stood smiling and stroking his beard, in silent, self-satisfied content as he gazed at the creation of his brain.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I heard a noise behind me like that of a dozen stocking-weavers at work; and turning my head, I found it proceeded from the purring of that animal, who seemed to be three times larger than an ox, as I computed by the view of her head, and one of her paws, while her mistress was feeding and stroking her.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
“Wickfield's plans,” said the Doctor, stroking his face, and looking penitently at his adviser.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
How could I be so wicked? said Jo, half aloud, as she leaned over her sister softly stroking the wet hair scattered on the pillow.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
They may be undeveloped types, said he, stroking his beard and looking round at them, but their deportment in the presence of their superiors might be a lesson to some of our more advanced Europeans.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
But I confess, that, after I had been a little too copious in talking of my own beloved country, of our trade and wars by sea and land, of our schisms in religion, and parties in the state; the prejudices of his education prevailed so far, that he could not forbear taking me up in his right hand, and stroking me gently with the other, after a hearty fit of laughing, asked me, whether I was a whig or tory?
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
"It's your little mind, Demi," replied the sage, stroking the yellow head respectfully.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
His majesty, in another audience, was at the pains to recapitulate the sum of all I had spoken; compared the questions he made with the answers I had given; then taking me into his hands, and stroking me gently, delivered himself in these words, which I shall never forget, nor the manner he spoke them in: My little friend Grildrig, you have made a most admirable panegyric upon your country; you have clearly proved, that ignorance, idleness, and vice, are the proper ingredients for qualifying a legislator; that laws are best explained, interpreted, and applied, by those whose interest and abilities lie in perverting, confounding, and eluding them.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
So you must try to be contented with making your name boyish, and playing brother to us girls, said Beth, stroking the rough head with a hand that all the dish washing and dusting in the world could not make ungentle in its touch.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
So he put her up at the table, opened the great dictionary she had brought, and gave her a paper and pencil, and she scribbled away, turning a leaf now and then, and passing her little fat finger down the page, as if finding a word, so soberly that I nearly betrayed myself by a laugh, while Mr. Bhaer stood stroking her pretty hair with a fatherly look that made me think she must be his own, though she looked more French than German.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
