stranger

American  

[streyn-jer] / ˈstreɪn dʒər /

noun

1. a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance.

   He is a perfect stranger to me.

   Antonyms:

   acquaintance

2. a newcomer in a place or locality.

   a stranger in town.

3. an outsider.

   They want no strangers in on the club meetings.

4. a person who is unacquainted with or unaccustomed to something (usually followed byto ).

   He is no stranger to poverty.

5. a person who is not a member of the family, group, community, or the like, as a visitor or guest.

   Our town shows hospitality to strangers.

6. Law. one not privy or party to an act, proceeding, etc.

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stranger British  

/ ˈstreɪndʒə /

noun

1. any person whom one does not know

2. a person who is new to a particular locality, from another region, town, etc

3. a guest or visitor

4. (foll by to) a person who is unfamiliar (with) or new (to) something

   he is no stranger to computers

5. law a person who is neither party nor privy to a transaction

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Related Words

Stranger, foreigner both refer to someone regarded as outside of or distinct from a particular group. Stranger may apply to one who does not belong to some group—social, professional, national, etc.—or may apply to a person with whom one is not acquainted. Foreigner emphasizes a difference in language, customs, and background.

Other Word Forms

• strangerlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of stranger

1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French estrangier, equivalent to estrange strange + -ier -ier ²

Explanation

A stranger is someone you don't know or who doesn't belong in a specific place. Parents tell their kids, "Don't talk to strangers." That's because strangers are people they don't know, who could be dangerous. Just like strange things are odd or weird, a stranger is unknown and therefore potentially scary. Also, anyone out of place can be considered a stranger. A fireman in a police station is a stranger, and a mascot in a scientific lab is a stranger. Either type of stranger is likely to make someone say, "Who's that?"

Example Sentences

Now into the mix comes a divinely handsome stranger who bonds with Adora when they happen to sit next to each other at the ballet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Swan, herself no stranger to the wellness-podcast circuit, was careful to insert the caveat that the film is “not a quote-unquote ‘scientific study.’

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

Making the Allah references all the stranger were Trump’s other religious-themed posts this past weekend.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

General Motors, 6.2 times earnings, is no stranger to this list, but it has also returned 68% over the past year, and 127% over the past three, easily beating the market.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

I want to be uncomfortable with this stranger touching my face, but there is something about her that seems so familiar.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• alien
• foreigner
• guest
• immigrant
• intruder
• newcomer
• outsider
• visitor