stray

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

Synonyms of stray

• trespass
• wander
• fall

Examples of stray in a Sentence

The airplane strayed off course.

our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow

Recent Examples on the Web

The second way this strays from a Daiquiri is in its heavy dose of Angostura Bitters, which adds tons of texture and the flavors of baking spice. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 6 June 2026

Kesha didn’t stray far from her high-energy start, only using three interludes at separate intervals as opportunities to change into a new attire. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026

Swarms of flies and stray cats gathered around the trash whose stench wafted on the breeze from the nearby sea. —ABC News, 4 June 2026

The Piano Man, who was born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island, hasn’t strayed too far from his New York roots. —Joyce Chen, Architectural Digest, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English straien, from Anglo-French estraier, from Vulgar Latin *extravagare, from Latin extra- outside + vagari to wander — more at extra-

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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