stray

[ strey ]

/ streɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stray 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; ramble: to stray from the main road.

to wander; roam: The new puppy strayed from room to room.

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.

noun

a domestic animal found wandering at large or without an owner.

any homeless or friendless person or animal.

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.

Nearby words

strawhat, strawson, strawweight, strawworm, strawy, stray, strayhorn, strayhorn, billy, strays, strayve, streak

Origin of stray

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English strayen, aphetic variant of astraien, estraien < Middle French estraier < Vulgar Latin *extrāvagāre to wander out of bounds (see extravagant); (noun) Middle English, in part derivative of the v., in part < Anglo-French stray, Middle French estrai, derivative of estraier

SYNONYMS FOR stray

1 rove, range.

2 meander.

3 err.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stray ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsstray·er, nounun·stray·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for strays

This requires being open to what will actually accomplish this—even if it strays from existing dogma.
How Cars, Not Subways, Will Make Us Richer|Scott Beyer|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“These poor waifs and strays of humanity had a melancholy ending,” an 1874 New York Times article reads.
America’s Largest Mass Graveyard May Become a Public Park|Nina Strochlic|January 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Dude Lit, men confide in animals that are not deliberate pets, but wild animals and strays.
Chick Lit vs. Dude Lit|Laura Fraser|September 1, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Porn For Women, however, strays away from the typical preconceived notion of the explicit content beloved by the male species.
This Site Is Redefining Porn for Women|Erin Cunningham|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

"Just a couple of strays beating around the lake," I explained.
Neighbours|Robert Stead
The jewfish is common in more southern waters but there may well have been some strays in the Chesapeake.
The Bounty of the Chesapeake|James Wharton
That means the State handing him over to the folks set to deal with the 'strays' of God's world.
The Heart of Unaga|Ridgwell Cullum
Then he moved quietly and secured them with his tie-rope, and mounted his horse to lead the strays up the trail.
The Long Dim Trail|Forrestine C. Hooker
It's a disgrace to the town, importing such waifs and strays.
Mrs. Thompson|William Babington Maxwell

British Dictionary definitions for strays (1 of 2)

strays

/ (streɪz) /

pl n

Also called: stray capacitance electronics undesired capacitance in equipment, occurring between the wiring, between the wiring and the chassis, or between components and the chassis

telecomm another word for static (def. 9)

British Dictionary definitions for strays (2 of 2)

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 Formsstrayer, 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

Word Origin and History for strays (1 of 2)

stray

c.1300, a shortening of Old French estraier "wander about," literally "go about the streets," from estree "route, highway," from Late Latin via strata "paved road" (see street). On another theory, the Old French word is from Vulgar Latin *estragare, a contraction of *estravagare, representing Latin extra vagari "to wander outside" (see extravagant). Figurative sense of "to wander from the path of rectitude" is attested from early 14c.

Word Origin and History for strays (1 of 2)

stray

"domestic animal found wandering," early 13c., from Old French estraié "strayed," past participle of estraier (see stray (v.)). The adjective is first recorded c.1600.

stray

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of stray

Examples from the Web for strays

British Dictionary definitions for strays (1 of 2)

strays

pl n

British Dictionary definitions for strays (2 of 2)

stray

verb (intr)

noun

adjective

Word Origin for stray

Word Origin and History for strays (1 of 2)

stray

Word Origin and History for strays (1 of 2)

stray