astray
Americanadverb
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out of the right way; off the correct or known road, path, or route.
Despite specific instructions, they went astray and got lost.
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away from that which is right; into error, confusion, or undesirable action or thought.
They were led astray by their lust for money.
adjective
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out of the correct path or direction
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out of the right, good, or expected way; into error
Etymology
Origin of astray
1250–1300; Middle English astraye < Anglo-French *astraié, Old French estraié, past participle of estraier; stray
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They likely are wasting their time: the data these early birds obtain don’t provide an advantage — and may actually lead them astray.
From MarketWatch
“Let me hold that book, if you please. It belongs to Lord Fredrick, and I do not want it going astray again.”
From Literature
If not for Old Timothy leading the hounds astray until she and the children had nearly reached the house, they would have been at the mercy of Lord Fredrick’s wild shots.
From Literature
Nearly 250 years later, as we continue to debate what the Founders intended, we may find at times that we’ve been led astray by legend, hornswoggled by hand-me-down history.
From Los Angeles Times
While Atencio had once dreamed of being a journalist, his work as an animator had led him astray of a writer’s path.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
