different strokes

noun

Different touches.

“Different strokes for different folks.”

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Meanings

noundifferent strokes pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyDifferent touches.
  2. pluralplural onlyDifferent styles adapted to a specific situation.

    Different strokes for different folks.

phrase
  1. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of different strokes for different folks.

Origin

Appeared in general use by 1970. Possibly originally from the 1968 song “Everyday People” by “Sly & The Family Stone”

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

different strokes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/different%20strokes

MLA

“different strokes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/different%20strokes. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “different strokes,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/different%20strokes.

Source: different strokes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.