strays; strayed; straying
: to go in a direction that is away from a group or from the place where you should be
Two cows strayed [=wandered] into the woods.
The airplane strayed off course.
—often + fromShe strayed from the group and got lost.
Her eyes strayed from her computer to the window. [=she stopped looking at her computer and began looking at/out the window]
—often used figurativelyShe never strayed [=deviated] from the path her parents envisioned for her.
The menu at their house rarely strays (too) far from meat and potatoes.
The class discussion strayed [=deviated] from the original topic.
a straying husband [=a husband who has sexual relations with a woman who is not his wife]
always used before a noun
1
of an animal
: lost or having no home
a stray cat/dog
2
: separated from another or others of the same kind
a stray sock
3
: not in or going in the proper or intended place
a few stray hairs
He was hit by a stray bullet. [=a bullet that was supposed to go somewhere else]
plural strays
1
: an animal (such as a cat or dog) that is lost or has no home
Both of her cats were strays that she found wandering in the neighborhood.
2
: a person or thing that is separated from a group
I matched up the socks in the laundry but I was left with one stray. [=one extra sock]
Cite this Entry
“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/stray. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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