backstroke

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US/ˈbækˌstɹoʊk/

noun

A backhanded stroke or blow.

“Near-synonym: back crawl”

Similar
back crawl
Less commonScrabble 22
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Meanings

nounbackstroke (plural backstrokes)

plural backstrokes

  1. A backhanded stroke or blow.

    He observed that Cid Ruy-dias was an excellent knight; but not equal to the Lord of the Flaming-sword, who with one back-stroke [translating revés] had cut two fierce and monstrous giants through the middle.

    1755, Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Tobias Smollett, Don Quixote, Volume 1, I.1
  2. hobbiesA stroke swum lying on one's back, while rotating both arms through the water as to propel the swimmer backwards.

    Near-synonym: back crawl

    Synonyms: back crawl

  3. The pull on the tail of the rope that swings the bell through a full circle.
verbbackstroke (third-person singular simple present backstrokes, present participle backstroking, simple past and past participle backstroked)

present singular third person backstrokes · participle present backstroking · participle past backstroked · past backstroked

  1. transitiveTo hit with a backstroke.
  2. intransitivehobbiesTo swim the backstroke.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA stroke swum lying on one's back, while rotating both arms through the water as to propel the swimmer backwards.

Similar
back crawl

Origin

From back + stroke.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian гръб
  • гръб (grăb)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
Chinese Cantonese 背泳
  • 背泳a swimming stroke swum on one's back
Chinese Mandarin 仰泳, 背泳
  • 仰泳 (yǎngyǒng)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • 背泳 (bèiyǒng)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
Dutch rugslag
  • rugslaga swimming stroke swum on one's back
Finnish selkäuinti
  • selkäuintia swimming stroke swum on one's back
French dos crawlé, dos
  • dos crawléa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • dosa swimming stroke swum on one's back
German Rückenschwimmen, Rückenkraulen
  • Rückenschwimmena swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • Rückenkraulena swimming stroke swum on one's back
Hungarian hátúszás
  • hátúszása swimming stroke swum on one's back
Japanese 背泳
  • 背泳 (haiei)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
Korean 배영
  • 배영 (baeyeong)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
Māori kau tīraha, kauhoe tīraha
  • kau tīrahaa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • kauhoe tīrahaa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • kau tīrahato swim backstroke
  • kauhoe tīrahato swim backstroke
Polish styl grzbietowy
  • styl grzbietowya swimming stroke swum on one's back
Portuguese nado de costas, costas
  • nado de costasa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • costasa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • estilo de costasa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • nadar de costasto swim backstroke
Russian пла́вание на спине́
  • пла́вание на спине́ (plávanije na spiné)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
Spanish dorso, estilo espalda
  • dorsoa swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • estilo espaldaa swimming stroke swum on one's back
Swedish ryggsim
  • ryggsima swimming stroke swum on one's back
Tagalog balangay, himbalangay
  • balangaya swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • himbalangaya swimming stroke swum on one's back
Welsh nofio cefn
  • nofio cefna swimming stroke swum on one's back
Yiddish נאַזנשוווּם, שווימען נאַזנדיק
  • נאַזנשוווּם (naznshvum)a swimming stroke swum on one's back
  • שווימען נאַזנדיק (shvimen nazndik)to swim backstroke
Cite this entry
APA

backstroke. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backstroke

MLA

“backstroke.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backstroke. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “backstroke,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/backstroke.

Source: backstroke on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.