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
Noun
In its social media post, the Nebraska Humane Society detailed that the kitten was brought in as a stray alongside two other felines. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 21 Oct. 2023 There are no female characters with spoken lines, and the portrayal of a wise yogi levitating in the Indian jungle (and mention of circus acts like snake charmers and sword swallowers) strays into stereotype territory. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023 In April of this year, Libby was transferred from a local emergency animal clinic to AHS’ trauma hospital as an injured stray after she was found to be suffering from burn wounds caused by a fire in Downtown Phoenix. The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 28 July 2023 Caution children not to go near any stray or wild animal, regardless of its behavior. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 14 Sep. 2023 An abused stray mutt kept escaping from a shelter and trying to move himself into a senior care facility. Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023 About 1,000 stray dogs have also been taken off the streets, with activists accusing authorities of using cruel measures. Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023 Here Fact: there are few (if any) better ways to spend a crisp fall afternoon in Louisville than meandering through one of the city's several bourbon distilleries, trailing behind your guide like an obedient duckling, absorbing stray facts about the production process. Valerie Rains, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2023 The consequences however, for harming an animal, even a stray, can be serious. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 17 Aug. 2023
Verb
How Long To Toast Nuts Toasting nuts only takes a few minutes, so don't stray far from your oven or stove. Patricia S York, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2023 Instead of returning to spawn in their home rivers, the University of Alaska team thinks, at some point individual chum salmon strayed north. WIRED, 18 Oct. 2023 Harris hasn’t strayed too far off the Halloween path, bulking her filmography with appearances in scary movies like See No Evil (2014) and Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn (2015) and portraying a member of the Manson family cult in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). Sophie T. Stern, Peoplemag, 18 Oct. 2023 If anything, it’s strayed even further away from that goal. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 15 Oct. 2023 The record doesn’t stray far from his trusty blueprints. Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 6 Oct. 2023 Browne had strayed from his monochrome palette in previous collections—his 2022 styles included sumptuous evening jackets in mustard, lavender, emerald, and cantaloupe—but his couture looks were nearly all in shades of gray. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 The windy, drier air continues to move in with the chance of a rogue, stray shower quickly ending by sunset. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2023 Abu Dhabi initiated a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in 2008 to control feral and stray cats, primarily through the Abu Dhabi Animal Shelter. Aimee Look, CNN, 6 Oct. 2023
Adjective
The stray dog was caught and taken to a local shelter. Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023 Israel says an explosion at a hospital compound in Gaza was caused by a stray rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also known as Islamic Jihad, the second-most powerful Palestinian militant group operating in the Gaza Strip with backing from Iran after Hamas. WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023 According to Shelter Animals Count, the number of stray dogs entering animal shelters has increased by 26% since 2021. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2023 Videos emerged of municipal workers violently dragging away stray dogs to clear the areas. Suhasini Raj, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023 Confidence: Medium Tomorrow night: Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of a stray shower. Molly Robey, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023 But The Waffle House Affair demonstrates how the 38-year-old’s story is just as often commandeered by social media, the press and her fans — a particularly zealous crowd that analyzes stray photos as exhaustively as her song lyrics. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2023 According to police, Arianna was struck by a stray bullet on May 14 — Mother’s Day — while riding in a car with her family in Northeast Washington. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2023 There’s a 40% chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm. Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 11 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stray.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near stray

Cite this Entry

“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stray. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!