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
a cow straying into the woods
He strayed from the group and got lost.
—often used figurativelyThe menu at the restaurant never strays far from traditional dishes.
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
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
Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Now why is McConaughey catching strays?
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Stanton’s disdain for immigrants led her into emergent realms of pseudoscience that would transform into eugenics; her rhetoric about women strayed from the principle of gender equality into essentialist ideas about women’s feminine specialness.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Police said Quatey was sitting in the backseat of a car when she was struck by a stray bullet.
—Katie Houlis, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stray
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Noun
The contract lapse meant the humane society temporarily stopped housing strays picked up by the county.
—Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Now why is McConaughey catching strays?
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
The filmmakers make an intentional decision to avoid actually sharing footage of Black deaths and anti-Black police violence on screen to avoid straying into morbid spectacle, which is a commendable ethical choice most non-Black filmmakers might not have made.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Stanton’s disdain for immigrants led her into emergent realms of pseudoscience that would transform into eugenics; her rhetoric about women strayed from the principle of gender equality into essentialist ideas about women’s feminine specialness.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Don't leave out food for stray cats, either.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Police said Quatey was sitting in the backseat of a car when she was struck by a stray bullet.
—Katie Houlis, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stray
Cite this Entry
“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stray. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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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