stray
noun
\
Definition of stray
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a : 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
verbDefinition of stray (Entry 2 of 3)
: 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
stray
adjectiveDefinition of stray (Entry 3 of 3)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for stray
Synonyms: Adjective
aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, erratic, haphazard, helter-skelter, hit-or-miss, random, scattered, slapdash
Antonyms: Adjective
methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized
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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 narrowAdjective
stray sightings of UFO's, none of which have been rigorously analyzed by scientists
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Laura’s big thing, for example, is collecting stray cats and dogs. — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "The cast outshines the material in road trip movie ‘Boundaries’," 22 June 2018 Last year, the Bradshaw shelter took in 647 stray cats and dogs during the first two weeks of July, 124 more than during the same period in June, said spokeswoman Janna Haynes. — Cynthia Hubert, sacbee, "Free pet microchips available in Sacramento County before Fourth of July," 19 June 2018 Dean loved animals, saving 3 stray cats and his dog Copper that all became his 4-legged family. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Dean Bordonaro," 2 June 2018 Finding his way back home On Oct. 25, someone brought a stray cat to Elmbrook Humane Society. — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "After two months, a local family finds their 20-year-old cat at the Elmbrook Humane Society," 2 Jan. 2018 Cecile raised two children, five grandchildren, and more than a few welcome strays. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Cecile M. Bienvenue," 20 June 2018 Extracting iron ore wasn’t like picking up a stray piece of gold or silver. — Jonathan Schifman, Popular Mechanics, "The Entire History of Steel," 9 July 2018 The rural community of Covert, Mich. says goodbye to 12 year-old She’Nyah O’Flynn, who was killed by a stray bullet while visiting family in Chicago on June 14, 2018. — Peter Nickeas, chicagotribune.com, "A small Michigan town mourns a 12-year-old girl slain in Chicago: 'She’s here with us'," 3 July 2018 An American woman celebrating her first wedding anniversary was shot and killed in a wealthy Mexico City neighborhood by a stray bullet fired by a gunman on a motorcycle, officials said. — Robert Gearty, Fox News, "Stray shot kills California woman in Mexico City for wedding anniversary," 10 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Now the city has set up cameras to catch trucks that stray from designated truck routes, and will hand out fines of up to $250. — Ian Duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore tries cameras and tickets to stop trucks driving down residential streets," 7 May 2018 Speaking of straying off the path, Creator Edge Media may have come just at the right time. — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "Jace Norman Talks the Logan Paul Controversy: It Can't "Be About How Many Views You’re Getting"," 13 Jan. 2018 But getting distracted at the denouement, simply because the finish line is in sight and the excitement overwhelms you to the point of straying, must be avoided at all cost. — Peter Dunn, Indianapolis Star, "Pete the Planner: You saved for a big expense. Don't let greed or overthinking derail you.," 3 Jan. 2018 Wei-Yin Chen strayed from the script of his 2018 season, but the Miami Marlins could not. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Wei-Yin Chen sharp, but Marlins lose second straight to Diamondbacks," 28 June 2018 Candidates strayed from engaging in much political rhetoric until the 2018 race, when unsuccessful candidate Tim Burns entered the race as an unabashed progressive Democrat. — Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Susan Happ, Maria Lazar add their names to growing field of prospective Supreme Court candidates," 14 June 2018 Another Fourth of July, another time of amputations, fires and stray bullets. — Katie Bernard And Matt Campbell, kansascity, "Amputations, fires and celebratory gunfire mar the Fourth of July holiday," 5 July 2018 Kapler hasn’t strayed from thinking outside the box. — Scott Lauber, Philly.com, "Phillies' Gabe Kapler has gone from punching bag to manager of the year candidate," 5 July 2018 Fan garb rarely strays far from standard-issue T-shirts and caps, emblazoned with team logos. — Janelle Nanos, BostonGlobe.com, "The crowd goes wild: After years of traditional fan gear, MLB is letting its freak flag fly," 29 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Police in Mexico are investigating the murder of an American tourist hit by a stray bullet in Mexico City. — CBS News, "American woman killed in Mexico after U.S. issues travel warnings," 11 July 2018 Though concealed by the sun, the moon is still flecked with a few stray particles of light filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "The Century’s Longest Lunar Eclipse Will Shroud the Moon This Month," 2 July 2018 But just as those opportunities appeared to grow South Korea's confidence, it was shattered when a stray arm from Jang Hyun-soo resulted in Vela breaking the deadlock from the spot after 25 minutes. — SI.com, "South Korea 1-2 Mexico: El Tri Put One Foot in Last 16 Despite Late Screamer From Son," 23 June 2018 While some activists fight specific regulations at a municipal level, there are no federal laws that protect the nearly 2 million stray dogs in Russia, according to Hoger. — Madeline Farber, Fox News, "World Cup 2018 host cities in Russia allegedly killing off stray dogs ahead of tournament," 13 June 2018 The Wisconsin native would see stray dogs all the time en route to her job in downtown Houston. — Tracy Maness, Houston Chronicle, "Lola’s Lucky Day finds Houston dogs homes in Wisconsin," 18 June 2018 The driver, 42-year-old Tobias Thomas, was hit in the back of the head by a stray bullet in the 800 block of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard Thursday night. — Chelsea Prince, ajc, "Video shows shooter open fire, take off after wounded driver crashes into storefront," 12 June 2018 Harriott was struck in the back by a stray bullet, her spine shattered. — Laura Crimaldi, BostonGlobe.com, "She was paralyzed by gunfire as a child in Dorchester. Now she’s graduating from high school," 5 June 2018 The stray bullet, from a shooting one block away, hit Ulises Triano. — Ryan Young, CNN, "Chicago officials laud 15th consecutive month of declining gun violence," 2 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stray.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for stray
stray
noun
English Language Learners Definition of stray
(Entry 1 of 3)
: an animal (such as a cat or dog) that is lost or has no home
: a person or thing that is separated from a group
stray
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of stray (Entry 2 of 3)
: to go in a direction that is away from a group or from the place where you should be
stray
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of stray (Entry 3 of 3)
of an animal : lost or having no home
: separated from another or others of the same kind
: not in or going in the proper or intended place
See the full definition for stray in the English Language Learners Dictionary
stray
noun
\
Kids Definition of stray
(Entry 1 of 3)
: a domestic animal (as a cat or dog) that is lost or has no home
stray
verbKids Definition of stray (Entry 2 of 3)
1 : to wander from a group or from the proper place : roam The gate was left open and the cow strayed.
2 : to go off from a direct or chosen route or the right course We strayed from the path.
3 : to become distracted from a topic or train of thought
stray
adjectiveKids Definition of stray (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : lost or having no home a stray dog
2 : not in the proper or intended place I found a few stray socks.
3 : occurring here and there : random a few stray hairs
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