with a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen
idiom
: by a single act of moving a pen when it is being used to write or sign something
—used figuratively
The President has the power to end this policy with a (single) stroke of a/the/his pen.
Examples of with a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The European Union has the power to eliminate the smuggling economy with a stroke of a pen.
—
Dimi Reider, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2015
Slashing through thousands of pages of red tape with a stroke of his pen, Shapiro focused solely on rebuilding as fast as possible and refused to let interest group politics or bureaucratic inertia slow things down.
—Lindsay Lewis, The Mercury News, 24 May 2024
The book involves more diagnosis and lamentation than prescriptions, since Yavlinsky is fully aware that moral behavior cannot be built, or rebuilt, with a stroke of the pen.
—Richard N. Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
But these orders are vulnerable to legal challenge, and when the presidency shifts to the other party, the incoming president can sweep them away with a stroke of his pen.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 26 July 2022
The Biden administration can reverse some of those actions quickly – for instance, as president, Joe Biden can undo Donald Trump’s executive orders with a stroke of the pen.
—Daniel Farber, The Conversation, 18 Jan. 2021
Specifically, the United States could, with a stroke of a pen, totally destroy the capacity of Russia to compete militarily or economically with us by offering a green card to any Russian with a technical degree who wishes to emigrate to the United States.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 24 Feb. 2022
In fact, Pressley is aware that urging President Joe Biden to abolish the federal death penalty with a stroke of a pen would only be the beginning.
—Christina Carrega, CNN, 12 May 2021
Judge Pulliam could fix this with a stroke of a pen, but that hasn’t happened yet.
—Kyle Whitmire, al, 12 Mar. 2021
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Dimi Reider, Foreign Affairs, 16 Sep. 2015
Slashing through thousands of pages of red tape with a stroke of his pen, Shapiro focused solely on rebuilding as fast as possible and refused to let interest group politics or bureaucratic inertia slow things down.
—Lindsay Lewis, The Mercury News, 24 May 2024
The book involves more diagnosis and lamentation than prescriptions, since Yavlinsky is fully aware that moral behavior cannot be built, or rebuilt, with a stroke of the pen.
—Richard N. Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 1 Jan. 2012
But these orders are vulnerable to legal challenge, and when the presidency shifts to the other party, the incoming president can sweep them away with a stroke of his pen.
—William A. Galston, WSJ, 26 July 2022
The Biden administration can reverse some of those actions quickly – for instance, as president, Joe Biden can undo Donald Trump’s executive orders with a stroke of the pen.
—Daniel Farber, The Conversation, 18 Jan. 2021
Specifically, the United States could, with a stroke of a pen, totally destroy the capacity of Russia to compete militarily or economically with us by offering a green card to any Russian with a technical degree who wishes to emigrate to the United States.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 24 Feb. 2022
In fact, Pressley is aware that urging President Joe Biden to abolish the federal death penalty with a stroke of a pen would only be the beginning.
—Christina Carrega, CNN, 12 May 2021
Judge Pulliam could fix this with a stroke of a pen, but that hasn’t happened yet.
—Kyle Whitmire, al, 12 Mar. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near with a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen
Cite this Entry
“With a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/with%20a%20%28single%29%20stroke%20of%20a%2Fthe%2Fhis%2Fher%20pen. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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