as in trespassed
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
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Recent Examples of strayed
Inflation has weighed on shoppers, and customers have voiced frustration over cluttered stores and inconsistent merchandise that strayed from the retailer’s identity as a polished, affordable-chic chain.
—
Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Their conversation strayed beyond defense, touching on baseball in general, how Davis came up in the game, the community in the sport.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
The award-winning actress strayed from her signature soft wave aesthetic with the help of stylist Bryce Scarlett, whose A-list client roster also includes Mia Goth, Charli XCX and Hailey Bieber.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
Some of that era’s optimism has since waned, as the prevailing conversation in hip-hop these days is a sense that the genre has strayed too far from its roots.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
Characters who strayed were guided back into alignment, not violently eliminated.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Arkansas, however, strayed away from its identity and quickly fell behind 15 points at halftime.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Jan. 2026
The discussion quickly strayed from the main issue at hand, Brown said, blaming Martinez for not setting a civil tone at the start of the meeting.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
And that comet that strayed into our turf from another star?
—Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 10 Feb. 2026
Their conversation strayed beyond defense, touching on baseball in general, how Davis came up in the game, the community in the sport.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
The award-winning actress strayed from her signature soft wave aesthetic with the help of stylist Bryce Scarlett, whose A-list client roster also includes Mia Goth, Charli XCX and Hailey Bieber.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
Some of that era’s optimism has since waned, as the prevailing conversation in hip-hop these days is a sense that the genre has strayed too far from its roots.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
Characters who strayed were guided back into alignment, not violently eliminated.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Arkansas, however, strayed away from its identity and quickly fell behind 15 points at halftime.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Jan. 2026
The discussion quickly strayed from the main issue at hand, Brown said, blaming Martinez for not setting a civil tone at the start of the meeting.
—Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
And that comet that strayed into our turf from another star?
—Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strayed
Verb
-
Kelly insisted to the Washington Examiner that they were invited into the church, countering claims that the protesters trespassed.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The suit also alleges agents regularly trespassed on private property and used riot weapons, like tear gas, on people who weren’t resisting.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi received death threats after centuries-old trees were felled to make way for a $131 million bobsledding track.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Afterward, Agnes and I were felled by the kind of hunger that overtakes only those who have exerted themselves in cold weather.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But that has changed in the past century or so as the philosophers’ musings have wandered into the realm of theory, experiment and data.—
Sarah Scoles,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
-
But Lindsey Vonn never wandered.—
Outside,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strayed. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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