Stroke is a term which has multiple meanings within the sport of rowing

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

. It is used to refer to the action of propelling the boat with oars, to a rower seated in a particular position and to one side of the boat.

Stroke action

The stroke is the set of actions to propel the boat, and comprises two main parts - the drive when pressure is applied through the oars to pull the boat through the water, and the recovery when the oars are lifted out of the water and returned to the start position.

Stroke seat

When the boat has more than one rower

Boat positions (sport rowing)

In the sport of rowing, each rower is numbered by boat position in ascending order from the bow to the stern . The person who is seated on the first seat is always the 'bowman', or more commonly called just 'bow', the closest to the stern is commonly referred to as the 'strokeman' or 'stroke'...

, the rower closest to the stern of the boat is referred to as "Stroke". This is the most important position in the boat, because the stroke rower sets the stroke rate and rhythm for the rest of the crew to follow. Stroke seat has to be a very calm and yet very competitive individual. A good stroke will lead a team by bringing the best out of every rower in the boat. The rower at the opposite end of the boat is referred to as bow

Bow (rowing)

Bow is a term which has multiple meanings within the sport of rowing. It is used to refer to a rower seated in a particular position and to one side of the boat.-Bow:...

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Stroke side

Stroke side refers to the port side of the boat, which is on the left-hand side of a cox facing forwards, but on the right-hand side of a rower facing backwards. The usage derives from the tradition of having the stroke rower's oar be on the port side of the boat.