backstroke

Etymology

back +‎ stroke

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌstɹoʊk/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

backstroke (plural backstrokes)

1. A swimming stroke swum lying on one's back, while rotating both arms through the water as to propel the swimmer backwards.
2. (bellringing) The pull on the tail of the rope that swings the bell through a full circle (compare handstroke)

Verb

backstroke (third-person singular simple present backstrokes, present participle backstroking, simple past and past participle backstroked)

1. To swim the backstroke.

See also

• front crawl
• freestyle
• medley
• Trudgen