STROKING Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

stroking

verb

present participle of stroke

as in caressing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in massaging

to praise too much a politician with a special gift for stroking fat-cat donors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stroking She was later reunited with her dog, stroking him in stunned silence before being taken to the hospital. —

Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026 At one point Eliot entered the TV room and found Abby with her head on Claire’s lap, Claire stroking her hair. —

Literary Hub, 25 Nov. 2025 At first, wishes were made on the unbroken bones of the furcula by gently stroking them. —

Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 25 Nov. 2025 In the space of a couple of hours, each judge plowed their way through at least 40 cheeses — sniffing, stroking, crumbling, and finally, tasting to arrive at a score. —

Barry Neild, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025 Sometimes just stroking the ball to the other field, as Andres Gimenez did to drive in a run, or rolling one through the hole as Addison Barger did for an RBI in that inning, works just as well. —

Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025 One game, especially one so dominated by the defense, certainly isn’t enough to decide whether this is even an issue, but noted QB whisperer O’Connell has to be stroking his chin. —

John Shipley, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025 But Ethan’s out there getting loose and stroking it. —

Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025 According to the pages labeled as court exhibits, Priscilla rushed to her daughter’s bedside and was holding her hand, stroking her face, and telling her she was loved as family members gathered. —

Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stroking

Verb

The basis of the important therapy stems from studies showing that holding and caressing an animal provides benefits such as relaxation, lower blood pressure, decreasing anxiety, and increasing positivity, according to the news release.

— Dawn Giangiulio, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026