as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
stray sightings of UFO's, none of which have been rigorously analyzed by scientists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to trespass
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stray
Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2026
The shelter encouraged people who find stray dogs to make other arrangements to find their owners, such as posting fliers or taking them to a veterinarian to be scanned for a microchip.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Michael Liedtke, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Presidents have used the law for an array of purposes in the past, including some that appeared to stray from the its core defense purpose.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stray
Adjective
Low-hanging branches can catch fire, and dry leaves or shrubs nearby can ignite from stray embers.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 30 Apr. 2026
The shelter encouraged people who find stray dogs to make other arrangements to find their owners, such as posting fliers or taking them to a veterinarian to be scanned for a microchip.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology.
—Michael Liedtke, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Presidents have used the law for an array of purposes in the past, including some that appeared to stray from the its core defense purpose.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stray
Adjective
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Those aren’t just random stories.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Law enforcement will also have random checkpoints throughout the county to catch impaired drivers, according to the department's website.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Emory claimed that day that those arrested were outsiders who trespassed on school property.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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While monitoring predators at Python Cave — which is home to Egyptian fruit bats confirmed to be infected with the virus — in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park, scientists recorded hundreds of humans trespassing to visit the area.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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There are a few, scattered references to female gladiators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
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Within minutes of leaving town, the pavement twists downward through tight turns and steep grades as the mountain air begins to warm, the vegetation giving way to chaparral and scattered juniper, then to the stark silhouettes of ocotillo and Mojave yucca.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mira wanted to know who had dispatched him, but the boy wandered off to a playground structure, singing Jimmy Eat World to himself.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The rules required residents to use bear-resistant trash containers as wildlife officials determined bears, typically shy, boldly wandered into neighborhoods in search of left-overs in garbage bins.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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The fundamental processes governing brain health — genetics, neural and synaptic plasticity, and neuroinflammation — do not respect the arbitrary boundaries drawn between neurology and psychiatry.—
Eric J. Nestler,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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White-Jacket did cause a stir with its discussion of the arbitrary and cruel use of flogging in the US Navy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Right-hander Roki Sasaki strengthened his case Saturday with a quality start, despite some hiccups, as the Dodgers fell 3-2 to the Cardinals, extending their losing streak to four games.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
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Jupiter Jupiter, as darkness falls, will be roughly one-third up from the western horizon to the point directly overhead.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stray. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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