as in wandering
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
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Recent Examples of straying
The incursion underscores a growing pattern of Russian and Ukrainian drones straying into Eastern Europe, raising questions about air defenses as NATO and EU leaders condemn Moscow and weigh further sanctions.
—
Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The lawsuit accuses Altman 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.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
The lawsuit accuses Altman 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.
—CBS News, 12 May 2026
But since then, OpenAI’s structure has shifted – and Musk, the richest man on earth, claims its executives and Microsoft have unjustly enriched themselves by straying from the company’s original charitable mission.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
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
The baby pudu, just a few inches tall, has already been spotted trotting confidently alongside Posey, rarely straying far from her side.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
Regularly dig up straying shoots and divide dense clumps every few years.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 12 Apr. 2026
The filmmakers make an intentional decision to avoid actually sharing footage of Black deaths and anti-Black police violence on screen to avoid straying into morbid spectacle, which is a commendable ethical choice most non-Black filmmakers might not have made.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Stephen McGrath, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The lawsuit accuses Altman 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.
—ABC News, 12 May 2026
The lawsuit accuses Altman 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.
—CBS News, 12 May 2026
But since then, OpenAI’s structure has shifted – and Musk, the richest man on earth, claims its executives and Microsoft have unjustly enriched themselves by straying from the company’s original charitable mission.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
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
The baby pudu, just a few inches tall, has already been spotted trotting confidently alongside Posey, rarely straying far from her side.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
Regularly dig up straying shoots and divide dense clumps every few years.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 12 Apr. 2026
The filmmakers make an intentional decision to avoid actually sharing footage of Black deaths and anti-Black police violence on screen to avoid straying into morbid spectacle, which is a commendable ethical choice most non-Black filmmakers might not have made.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straying
Verb
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Traveling even to a different Strip hotel could be bewildering, so tourists worn out by a day of wandering, people-watching and drinking didn’t seem to mind mediocre restaurants, content to stumble off to bed after a few turns at the tables.—
Winston Ross,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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John Slattery in Vladimir, wandering around on the sidelines, knocking back cocktails and running out to the backyard every hour or so to make sure his lettuce has been adequately watered.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Walking on private ground without permission is clearly trespassing in Montana.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
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Residents of the Pyramid Acres subdivision in southwest Tarrant County say landowner Nancy Rimmer has unlawfully blocked their access to Bear Creek, a navigable public waterway, by posting no-trespassing signs, installing surveillance cameras and hiring armed guards.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Like India, Indonesia has been wrestling with a falling currency, and on May 20, the country's central bank raised its policy interest rates by a larger-than-expected 50 basis points.—
Sri Jegarajah,Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
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Anyone who likes keeping the balcony doors open at night and falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves should enjoy the Ocean Rooms.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straying. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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