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
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 3 Nov. 2024
Charlie the golden retriever, thought to be 8 years old, was discovered as a stray and taken to Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Brooklyn, New York.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Despite the logistical advantages, there is also the fact that many emerging filmmakers want to stray away from the Western machine that has long been accused of portraying the Arab world through a biased lens.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024
East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
She’s saddled with an impossible role — that of Susan, an unhappy American wife on vacation with her husband in Morocco, where she’s hit by a stray bullet that puts her life in danger and generates artificial life-or-death stakes.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stray 
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.
Noun
Pet of the Week Amber is a sweet lab mix who came to us after being found as a stray with her 2 siblings.
—Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 3 Nov. 2024
Charlie the golden retriever, thought to be 8 years old, was discovered as a stray and taken to Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Brooklyn, New York.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
And without clear insight into their own strengths, companies start to stray for what seem like good business reasons.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Despite the logistical advantages, there is also the fact that many emerging filmmakers want to stray away from the Western machine that has long been accused of portraying the Arab world through a biased lens.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
And Price withdrew special-circumstances allegations against the men accused of killing 23-month-old Jasper Wu with a stray bullet during a 2021 freeway shooting.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
She’s saddled with an impossible role — that of Susan, an unhappy American wife on vacation with her husband in Morocco, where she’s hit by a stray bullet that puts her life in danger and generates artificial life-or-death stakes.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
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 22 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share