stray

1 of 3

noun

ˈstrā 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• trespass
• wander
• fall

Adjective

• random
• scattered
• arbitrary

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

While the famously prolific peak night (on August 11-12, 2025) will sadly be spoiled by very bright moonlight this year, now through late July is an ideal time to catch stray Perseids in moonless night skies. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025

According to data provided by Michelle Logan, executive director of the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas, 2.4 million pets enter shelters as strays. —Moná Thomas, People.com, 5 July 2025

Verb

Hope never strayed far from the community's mind: to this day, fresh flowers decorate her grave. —Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 14 July 2025

Bob Marley almost never strays from the top spot on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025

Adjective

An off-duty Fort Worth police officer’s personal vehicle was struck by a stray bullet when some teens were firing shots northwest of downtown early Sunday morning, police said. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2025

Detectives initially thought Powell was an innocent bystander hit by a stray bullet, but soon found an eyewitness who saw Powell arguing with a man moments before she was killed, a police source with knowledge of the investigation said. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025

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

Rhymes for stray

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

stray

1 of 3 noun

ˈstrā 

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