stray

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a domestic animal that is wandering at large or is lost
b
: a person or thing that strays
2
[Middle English, from straien to stray] archaic : the act of going astray

stray

2 of 3

verb

strayed; straying; strays

intransitive verb

: wander: such as
a
: to wander from company, restraint, or proper limits
b
: to roam about without fixed direction or purpose
c
: to move in a winding course : meander
d
: to move without conscious or intentional effort
eyes straying absently around the room
e
: to become distracted from an argument or train of thought
strayed from the point
f
: to wander accidentally from a fixed or chosen route
g
: err, sin
strayer noun

stray

3 of 3

adjective

1
: having strayed or escaped from a proper or intended place
a stray dog
2
: occurring at random or sporadically
stray thoughts
3
: not serving any useful purpose : unwanted
stray light

Examples of stray in a Sentence

Noun Both of her cats were strays that she found wandering in the neighborhood. Verb The airplane strayed off course. our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow Adjective stray sightings of UFO's, none of which have been rigorously analyzed by scientists
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Based on photos that Clear the Clermont County Animal Shelter posted on Facebook the day before, Hannah thought a senior dog named Rome, who recently arrived at the shelter as a stray, was her pooch Will, who went missing from her home in 2019. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 Sparkle is starting her next chapter after she recently was spotted wandering as a stray near Interstate 93 in the Boston area. Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024 Robert Jones: Ready to shine Meet Robert Jones, a 4-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix who was brought to the Arizona Humane Society by their Field Team as a stray in November. The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 2 Feb. 2024 The collection doesn't include a few stray publications, such as the first issue of the Whole Earth Catalog. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023 Stevie the Wonder Dog is a 7-year-old blind pitbull found as a stray in Chicago in August 2022, his foster profile said. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 14 Feb. 2024 Then there’s Hawkeye, the 3-year-old pit bull who entered as a stray with an arrow shot through his left front paw. Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2024 This lovable boy was rescued as an injured stray in January of this year after his back legs were found to be injured and it was suspected he was hit by a car. The Arizona Republic, 9 Feb. 2024 LaRussa said Bass, who has two cats, immediately warmed to the campaign, which included him posing with strays in photos. John Wawrow, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Verb
But in contrasting himself with his challenger and making his case for a second term, Biden occasionally strayed from the truth. Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Timothée Chalamet is not afraid to stray away from the ordinary red carpet fashion Timothée Chalamet has earned himself the title of fashion icon. Nikita Eglis, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 The image doesn’t show us much, other than a few colonial buildings, a square and a couple of ghostly figures straying into the frame. Thomas Page, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The $390,000 cat house in Erlanger is one nonprofit’s effort to take on a complex and controversial problem: stray cats. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 An opening sequence set — though not obviously established — in Abidjan has both witty promise and stray hints of the off-form filmmaking to come. Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 Even though conventional thinking will stray to what might have been -the possibility of at least a 150 lead on first innings -England did show their mettle in coming back hard against a team that hasn’t lost a series for 12 years on home turf. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Many fans have reportedly strayed off the public footpath, leading the wonders to enlist security to patrol around the house. Shania Russell, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2024 The moon is gradually straying away from its host; in contrast to the dramatic collision that might lie in Phobos’ future, Deimos’ fate is to eventually escape the gravity of Mars and drift off into space. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Other than a stray sprinkle or flurry, skies are partly cloudy. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 But on January 30, gunfire erupted down the street while the eight-year-old was playing outside, sending a stray bullet through Woodjina’s stomach. Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Arizona will have a Senate race for the fifth straight election cycle, with Democrats and Republicans both clamoring to hold their political bases while reaching for the stray independent. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Using the latest technology, robot vacuums are very self-sufficient; some can map out your home, avoid stray objects, and suck up every crumb and strand of fur on your floors. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 Such animals make up just a portion of the animals at shelters, though — many are stray animals brought in by animal control or found by neighbors. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 The Clermont County Animal Shelter received a message with Will’s original missing poster and a photo of a stray dog named Rome at a shelter. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2024 The National Feline Research Council estimates there are roughly 32 million stray cats nationwide, mostly in urban areas. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Names and scenarios have been changed, and stray plots dropped. Missy Frederick, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stray.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French estraié, past participle of estraier

Verb

Middle English straien, from Anglo-French estraier, from Vulgar Latin *extravagare, from Latin extra- outside + vagari to wander — more at extra-

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stray was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near stray

Cite this Entry

“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stray. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stray

1 of 3 noun
1
: a domestic animal that is wandering loose or is lost
2
: a person or thing that strays

stray

2 of 3 verb
1
: to wander from a group or from the proper place : roam
the dog strayed from the yard
2
: to wander from a fixed or chosen route or at random
accidentally strayed off the path
3
: to become distracted from an argument or chain of thought
strayed from the point
strayer noun

stray

3 of 3 adjective
1
: having strayed or been lost
a stray dog
2
: occurring in one place and another or at random
a few stray hairs

More from Merriam-Webster on stray

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