as in wanders
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
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Recent Examples of strays
Although the film strays drastically from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a complex film that teeters between the psychological and supernatural horror subgenres.
—
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Balenciaga strays away from a more experimental fashion approach the maison has been pushing under Demna, but also under its founder.
—Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2025
Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician whose support was key to Kennedy’s final confirmation, and Senator John Barrasso, a surgeon and the number two Republican in the Senate, who rarely strays from the party line.
—ABC News, 7 Sep. 2025
The actual practice is noticing when your attention strays and bringing your mind back to your breath, linking your mind and body together in the present moment.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Balenciaga strays away from a more experimental fashion approach the maison has been pushing under Demna, but also under its founder.
—Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2025
Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician whose support was key to Kennedy’s final confirmation, and Senator John Barrasso, a surgeon and the number two Republican in the Senate, who rarely strays from the party line.
—ABC News, 7 Sep. 2025
The actual practice is noticing when your attention strays and bringing your mind back to your breath, linking your mind and body together in the present moment.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strays
Verb
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When Rashid wanders into the office, Vahid stops his call — there’s something about this man’s shuffle that strikes him as familiar.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
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In the wake of a messy divorce, a writer wanders the world in search of meaning and passion in this loose adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s popular memoir.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For now, the burden largely falls on defendants — many still deep in addiction, many who are homeless — to find and secure treatment on their own.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
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As another once-promising season falls apart, this time stamped out in stunningly emphatic fashion, a conversation that had only begun to percolate is now steaming hot.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strays. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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