Meaning & use
long strokes
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Meanings
phraseplural
Wide, sweeping movements of the arm, hand, or tool, especially in swimming, rowing, or painting.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase; it takes a plural verb, as in "Long strokes cover more distance."
Patterns
- swim with long strokes
- paint in long strokes
- take long strokes
She crossed the pool using slow, long strokes.
The coach told him to swim with longer strokes to save energy.
He painted the wall in long strokes, moving his whole arm.
phrasepluralsport
A style of rowing or paddling in which each pull of the oar covers a lot of water.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like row or use, with no article: "They rowed long strokes."
Patterns
- row long strokes
- use long strokes
- keep the strokes long
The crew kept long strokes to move the boat smoothly.
In the final stretch they switched to long strokes.
Long strokes are tiring but they push the boat further each time.
phrasepluralmedical
In massage or medical scanning, single continuous passes of the hand or instrument over a body part.
Grammar: Countable in this sense; a single one is "a long stroke."
Patterns
- use long strokes on something
- make long strokes
- apply long strokes
The therapist used long strokes along her back.
The scan is done with long strokes of the probe.
Start with long strokes, then work on smaller areas.
Common combinations
- swim with long strokes
- He swims with long strokes and hardly splashes.
- long strokes of the brush
- A few long strokes of the brush filled the sky.
- row long strokes
- The team rowed long strokes to keep their rhythm.
- use long strokes
- Use long strokes when you sand the wood.
- slow, long strokes
- She ironed the shirt with slow, long strokes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sweeping movements
- Describes the same wide motion but says nothing about swimming or rowing; use it for general movement.
- wide sweeps
- Similar in meaning, but more common in art and cleaning contexts than in sport.
- full-length strokes
- Emphasizes that the movement covers the whole length; it fits rowing and swimming better than massage.
Opposites
Word family
- stroke noun
- One single movement of this kind.
- strokes noun
- The plain plural form of stroke.
Commonly confused: long strokes or strikes? long strokes or long shots?
long strokes vs strikes
Strikes are hits or work stoppages, while strokes are smooth movements; the vowel sound is different too.
long strokes vs long shots
Long shots are unlikely attempts or distant photographs; the phrase is not about movement.
Practice
Which sentence uses "long strokes" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Long strokes" is a plural noun phrase, so it needs no article and takes a plural verb; option 0 shows this. Option 1 drops the plural -s, option 2 wrongly adds "a", and option 3 uses a verb form where a noun is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “long strokes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.