1
a
: a domestic animal that is wandering at large or is lost
b
: a person or thing that strays
2
[Middle English, from straien to stray] archaic
: the act of going astray
strayed; straying; strays
: wander: such as
a
: to wander from company, restraint, or proper limits
b
: to roam about without fixed direction or purpose
c
: to move in a winding course : meander
d
: to move without conscious or intentional effort
eyes straying absently around the room
e
: to become distracted from an argument or train of thought
strayed from the point
f
: to wander accidentally from a fixed or chosen route
strayer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of stray in a Sentence
Noun
Both of her cats were strays that she found wandering in the neighborhood.
Verb
The airplane strayed off course.
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
Adjective
stray sightings of UFO's, none of which have been rigorously analyzed by scientists
Recent Examples on the Web
Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Many of the animals that come to Melissa’s Second Chances are strays found by animal control in Mission.
—Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025
Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
As Taylor, the Nez Perce Tribe’s watershed division director, looked on and the pair pushed against the current to spawn, his thoughts strayed elsewhere in the same watershed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 5 Feb. 2025
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
Woman Finds Stray Dog Sleeping On Porch By Alice Gibbs
Senior Life and Trends Reporter
0
An Atlanta resident woke up Thursday morning to an unexpected sight: a stray dog curled up on her porch.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stray 
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Noun
According to a statement from San Mateo County health officials, the cat was a stray that had been taken in by a family in Half Moon Bay.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2025
Many of the animals that come to Melissa’s Second Chances are strays found by animal control in Mission.
—Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
And then there were the signings who, without wishing to be cruel, strayed dangerously close to being acts of desperation.
—Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
As Taylor, the Nez Perce Tribe’s watershed division director, looked on and the pair pushed against the current to spawn, his thoughts strayed elsewhere in the same watershed.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) estimates there are 12 million stray dogs in that country.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025
Woman Finds Stray Dog Sleeping On Porch By Alice Gibbs
Senior Life and Trends Reporter
0
An Atlanta resident woke up Thursday morning to an unexpected sight: a stray dog curled up on her porch.
—Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for stray
Dictionary Entries Near stray
Cite this Entry
“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stray. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stray
1 of 3 noun1
: a domestic animal that is wandering loose or is lost
2
: a person or thing that strays
stray
2 of 3 verb1
: to wander from a group or from the proper place : roam
the dog strayed from the yard
2
: to wander from a fixed or chosen route or at random
accidentally strayed off the path
3
: to become distracted from an argument or chain of thought
strayed from the point
strayer
noun
stray
3 of 3 adjective1
: having strayed or been lost
a stray dog
2
: occurring in one place and another or at random
a few stray hairs
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