stray

1 of 3

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Before moving to Ollie's, Axel was living as a stray in South Carolina and ended up caught in a trap. Kelli Bender, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025 Animal protection organization Alley Cat Allies has shared the difference between a stray and a feral feline. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
But the attention will never stray from one primary goal, Wyle added. The Deadline Team, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2025 The Context Willett said a driver was turning onto a road, strayed from it and crashed into the building, rupturing a natural gas line—and left the scene in the vehicle before being found afterward. Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The 27-year-old was struck by a stray bullet while in her car on Aug. 15. Luke Chinman, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025 The organization 72 Acts of Kindness, named in honor of Colin Brown, who was killed by a stray bullet on the way home from a hockey game, made both a financial contribution and donated candy to sell. Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stray

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stray was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stray. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

stray

1 of 3 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on stray

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