stray
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.
were straying
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past progressiveof stray.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Still, it was prescient about the possibility of sentient computers taking matters into their own metaphorical hands if they perceived that humans were straying from a programmed mission.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
And whenever I felt like we were straying either in story or in tone or whatever it was, whenever I was doubting our direction, I would just go back to Olivia.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2022
The Wizards were using their size against the Celtics, and it looked awkward at times, as if they were straying from their plan at the beginning of the game.
From Washington Post ● May 8, 2017
More experimentation - such as negative interest rates or direct financing of government spending - could deepen concerns that central banks were straying further from their core competences.
From Reuters ● Oct. 1, 2015
“Many heads sprouted up without necks, and naked arms went wandering forlorn of shoulders, and solitary eyes were straying destitute of foreheads.”
From Browning and His Century by Helen Archibald Clarke
