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

a cow straying into the woods

He strayed from the group and got lost.

—often used figuratively

The menu at the restaurant never strays far from traditional dishes.

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 of stray

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

How To Prep Blueberries Before Washing Before cleaning, spread fresh blueberries onto a plate or tray and sort through, discarding any moldy, shriveled, or crushed berries, along with stray stems or leaves. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2026

Bella recently turned up at a Winnebago County Animal Services facility in Rockford as a stray. —Cbs Chicago Team, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026

Verb

News gatherers showed up every day at the same time, rather like stray cats conditioned by saucers of milk set out at regular times, and the captain was always there to share some new report. —Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026

Auralee has a reputation for bringing exciting color combinations to their collections and their AW26 show was no different, pairing reds, sky blues, and light greens in interesting variations, while showing an innate – almost defiant – sense of color blocking that many designers stray away from. —Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Adjective

As the central not-quite-couple, Son and Choi are intriguingly unpredictable together at first, like a pair of stray cats sizing each other up, ready to pounce or run as needed. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026

The boy, a local resident, was apparently lying on a lounge chair on the beach with his family when he was hit by stray bullets. —Janay Reece, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026

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