STRAYS Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

strays

verb

present tense third-person singular of stray

as in wanders

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

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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 strays Great Television rarely strays too far from these principles. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2026 Advertisement Kelly Macdonald in Lanterns John Johnson—HBO Max Lanterns strays pretty far from its setup, as Lindelof shows tend to do. — Judy Berman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026 Supermassive black holes are best known for their immense gravity, pulling in everything that strays too close, even light. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026 When the novel begins, Jeon-Gi is already middle-aged—his own children having recently left home—though his narration rarely strays from that delicate year leading up to his 11th birthday. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026 But for the most part, the further the narrative strays from the search at its center, the clunkier its reliance on synecdoche becomes. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 Princess Anne’s red lips The princess rarely strays from her beauty comfort zone. — Laura Scafati, Vanity Fair, 20 June 2026 Like Manuel, the low-key manager rarely strays from the norm during his press briefings, stating the obvious and avoiding controversy. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026 The album never strays from its examination of this couple. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strays

Verb

This strange girl who wanders around alone in the middle of nowhere and then enters a house that belongs to gentle bears.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
But the mystery train starts veering off the rails as Flowers wanders away from enjoyable rhinestone reinvention and defaults to the heavy-handed Springsteenian realism that’s sometimes been both his Rosetta stone and his Achilles’ heel.

— Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of wanders

Verb

When Cantu reaches towards Lopez and screams his wife’s name, a shot rings out and Lopez falls slightly off camera.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Rather than extra long hair, think of a cut that falls somewhere below the collarbone, with enough layering or movement to keep it from feeling heavy.

— Laura Solla, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of falls

Verb

John DeWitt, the four-star general who oversaw the internment program, in particular, seems to be a forerunner to some of America's worst errors, paranoia, sins.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025
God’s likeness, which is our true, spiritual identity, never sins and is never punished.

— Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Feb. 2025