STRAYING Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

straying

verb

present participle of stray

as in wandering

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of straying The sheep were straying from the road, veering through the front yards of homeowners who weren’t in the grazing program. — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026 At 31, his playing career appears to be finished, or certainly straying dangerously close to that position. — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The clock is ticking, not just because Gideon may be straying further from the light, but because Kylie is unknowingly tampering with dark forces to save him. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026 Even in the most pluralistic society, straying from the prevailing orthodoxy (or heterodoxy, as the case may be) can land you in trouble. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026 For readers already burned out on pumpkin spice, these releases offer a way to try something new without straying far from the coffee-shop menus that define the season. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 In an affidavit cited by the Dallas Morning News last month, Howard said Wirskye considered the agreement breached after Howard mentioned during opening statements that Anthony was in the chess club, straying beyond the events under the tent. — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 Without straying too far into the weeds here, the big takeaway from Nielsen’s co-viewing upgrade is that the measurement will now be much more passive. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2026 The interception is the latest in a series of similar recurring incidents involving drones straying into Ukraine's neighboring countries' borders, which authorities have blamed on electronic interference as part of the war with Russia. — CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straying

Verb

That uncanny feeling of wandering through left-behind cities has made for its own niche tourist appeal, and natural elements that overtake these towns in the absence of human residents add another layer of intrigue.

— Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026
Marietta police have charged the 22-year-old caregiver of a 3-year-old boy found wandering alone on a road on Monday afternoon.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of wandering

Verb

Israel wages war on childhood because a Palestinian child at play is already trespassing upon the future Israel has reserved for itself.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
The Tohono O’odham Nation said that even if construction were contained to the Roosevelt Reservation, driving onto tribal land to access the area still constitutes trespassing.

— Mikella Schuettler, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026