stray

[ strey ]

/ streɪ /

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See synonyms for: stray / strayed / straying / strays on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to deviate from the direct course, leave the proper place, or go beyond the proper limits, especially without a fixed course or purpose: to stray from the main road.

to wander; roam: I strayed through the maze of the forest.

to go astray; deviate, as from a moral, religious, or philosophical course: to stray from the teachings of the church.

to digress or become distracted: to stray from the main topic.

noun

a domestic animal found wandering at large or without an owner: The humane society traps strays, spays or neuters them, and returns them to the feral colony in which they were found.

any person or animal who is homeless or friendless: For a popular girl, she has the oddest misfit friends—her mom says she just can’t help but collect strays.

a person or animal that strays: the strays of a flock.

strays, Radio. static.

adjective

straying or having strayed, as a domestic animal.

found or occurring apart from others or as an isolated or casual instance; incidental or occasional.

Radio. undesired: stray capacitance.

OTHER WORDS FOR stray

1 rove, range.

2 drift, meander.

3 err.

See synonyms for stray on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stray

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb straien, strayen, from Old French estraier, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin extrāvagāre “to wander out of bounds”; see origin at extravagant

OTHER WORDS FROM stray

stray·er, nounun·stray·ing, adjective

Words nearby stray

strawweight, straw wine, strawworm, strawy, straw yellow, stray, Strayhorn, strays, strayve, streak, streaking

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stray in a sentence

A stray football rolled toward him from the other end, where the varsity had gathered, so he picked it up and threw it back.
Byron Leftwich is a rising star on a Bucs coaching staff that shows the power of diversity|Adam Kilgore|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
We’ve strayed from that vision, but we are on our way back to it, now for a digital century.
'We Need a Fundamental Reset.' Shoshana Zuboff on Building an Internet That Lets Democracy Flourish|Billy Perrigo|January 22, 2021|Time
Using NLP, we can then analyze how far the mutant strays in its “meaning”—for example, its behavior.
A Language AI Is Accurately Predicting Covid-19 ‘Escape’ Mutations|Shelly Fan|January 19, 2021|Singularity Hub
We even have a chance for a stray snow flurry, especially north and west of the city.
D.C.-area forecast: Sunny skies ahead of a cold and windy Inauguration Day|Matt Rogers|January 19, 2021|Washington Post

Some have bars and dining rooms that stray from familiar bowling-alley fare, such as the Bay Area’s Castro Valley Bowl, with its casual Thai and Laotian stand, Lucky Lane 33 Cafe.
America’s Independent Bowling Alleys Might Not Make It Through the Pandemic|Emma Orlow|January 15, 2021|Eater
She narrowed her eyes, bit her lip as if to chew over the question, and whisked some stray blond hairs away from her face.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
While some stray from the fold, most stay with the same pack their entire lives.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the weekends the birds and stray cats keep the artists company as they set up their displays.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The film tells the story of Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, a burly, sixtysomething biker and Vietnam vet.
Life After ‘Winter’s Bone’: Debra Granik on Finding J. Law and the Plight of the Female Director|Marlow Stern|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He karate-chops a final stray assassin, then they exchange vows.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Got Married and We’re Worried About Jennifer Aniston|Kevin Fallon, Tim Teeman|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He rose and kissed her lightly on the forehead, experience teaching him to avoid a stray hair from the carefully built coiffure.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The men stirred, and stray words of mingling wonder and anger reached the Parisian.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Stray goats and mules gazed expectantly up and down the track.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
If there should happen t' be a stray trooper hangin' round there, the same would be mighty awkward for you fellers.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Dolcoath Stray Park engine, with a cylinder of 63 inches in diameter, did thirty-two millions.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for stray

stray

/ (streɪ) /

verb (intr)

to wander away, as from the correct path or from a given area

to wander haphazardly

to digress from the point, lose concentration, etc

to deviate from certain moral standards

noun

a domestic animal, fowl, etc, that has wandered away from its place of keeping and is lost
(as modifier)stray dogs

a lost or homeless person, esp a childwaifs and strays

an isolated or random occurrence, specimen, etc, that is out of place or outside the usual pattern

adjective

scattered, random, or haphazarda stray bullet grazed his thigh

Derived forms of stray

strayer, noun

Word Origin for stray

C14: from Old French estraier, from Vulgar Latin estragāre (unattested), from Latin extrā- outside + vagāri to roam; see astray, extravagant, stravaig

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

stray

OTHER WORDS FOR stray

Origin of stray

OTHER WORDS FROM stray

Words nearby stray

Words related to stray

How to use stray in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stray

Derived forms of stray

Word Origin for stray