stranger

1 of 3

noun

strang·​er ˈstrān-jər 

1

: one who is strange: such as

a(1)

: foreigner

(2)

: a resident alien

b

: one in the house of another as a guest, visitor, or intruder

c

: a person or thing that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted

d

: one who does not belong to or is kept from the activities of a group

e

: one not privy or party to an act, contract, or title : one that interferes without right

2

: one ignorant of or unacquainted with someone or something

stranger

2 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a stranger : foreign

stranger

3 of 3

verb

strangered; strangering; strangers

transitive verb

obsolete

: estrange, alienate

Synonyms

Noun

• foreigner
• nonnative
• outlander
• outsider

Examples of stranger in a Sentence

Noun

Children are taught not to talk to strangers.

He is a complete stranger to me.

“Excuse me. Do you know where the library is?” “I'm sorry. I'm a stranger here myself.”

I'm a stranger to the area.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Dropped into a remote location, a group of strangers will live together under one roof, and face stunts, challenges and a game of social strategy. —Peter White, Deadline, 12 May 2025

In theaters, the Weeknd, Jenna Ortega, and Barry Keoghan star in Hurry Up Tomorrow, about a musician on the verge of a mental breakdown who meets a mysterious stranger who lures him into an existential journey. —EW.com, 12 May 2025

Adjective

Both are considered unlikely to be chosen due to their high-profile disagreements with the liberal wing of the college, but stranger outcomes have happened. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025

Delores is instantly drawn to this studly stranger, who claims to have killed the beast with his bare hands. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025

Verb

Once inside, Gibson scanned a sea of white people who filled the bleachers and packed together in lawn chairs, most of them strangers to him except for a few who worked at the public school district. —Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 Dec. 2024

She will be passed from stranger to stranger for the next two years—foster homes, shelters, juvenile detention. —Alex Mar, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English straunger, straungier "foreigner, alien, unfamiliar person, outsider," borrowed from Anglo-French estranger, estraunger "outsider, foreigner, unfamiliar person" (as adjective) "not related by blood, foreign" (also continental Middle French estrangier), from estrange "foreign, strange entry 1" + -er, -ier -er entry 2

Adjective

from attributive use of stranger entry 1

Verb

derivative of stranger entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1606, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stranger

• no stranger to

Rhymes for stranger

• changer
• danger
• manger
• ranger
• arranger
• endanger
• exchanger

Kids Definition

stranger

noun

strang·​er

ˈstrān-jər

1

: one who is strange

2

a

: foreigner

b

: guest sense 1, visitor

c

: a person with whom or a thing with which one is unacquainted

Legal Definition

stranger

noun

strang·​er

: someone who is not a party or in privity with a party (as to a contract or legal action)

may be enforced against a stranger to the contract