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

Police are asking residents to call 305-474-6473 to report sightings of stray or aggressive dogs. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025

Rescued as an injured stray through the Arizona Humane Society’s New Hope program, this sweet pup has shown incredible resilience and spirit. —Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 5 Sep. 2025

Verb

Regulators are questioning whether OpenAI has strayed from its original public-benefit mission in favor of commercial growth—recent suicides linked to ChatGPT have also complicated the issue. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025

In November 2022, when early reports blamed a Russian missile for straying into Poland and killing two Polish farmers, then-US President Joe Biden was traveling in Indonesia was told about the crisis. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025

Adjective

In Missouri, a 10-year-old child was shot in the thigh by stray gunfire while sleeping. —John Feinblatt, Time, 12 Sep. 2025

Start by using a Swiffer or microfiber cloth to gently clear dust from the tops of ceiling fan blades—then vacuum up any stray dust bunnies that drift down. —Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 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