as in wandering
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
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Recent Examples of straying
Then there was the case of the Waukegan woman who froze to death on the hospital’s roof after straying from her room.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
But many Cubans blame their own leaders for mismanaging the economy — and straying from the ideals of Castro’s revolution.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
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
In 2016, 10 US marines were held after straying into Iranian waters near the island.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026
The March 2 report on the Comanche 3 coal plant, which hasn’t worked since August, has raised concerns about Xcel, Colorado’s largest electric utility, straying from its timeline to phase out coal facilities.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Smith reached for the catch, his foot straying from the plate for a perilous split-second before landing just in time.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
In one reading, Louise’s terrorist arc is a refreshing subversion of the political correctness of Cash’s millennial forebears, the Patricia Lockwoods and Sally Rooneys and Sheila Hetis of the world, who might never dream of straying from their lane of lived experience.
—Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
Kraft Heinz has lost out to rivals, with Cahillane saying a recent spate of price hikes alienated consumers who were already straying from its brands in favor of healthier alternatives at a lower cost.
—Reuters
wire Service, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
But many Cubans blame their own leaders for mismanaging the economy — and straying from the ideals of Castro’s revolution.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2026
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
In 2016, 10 US marines were held after straying into Iranian waters near the island.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026
The March 2 report on the Comanche 3 coal plant, which hasn’t worked since August, has raised concerns about Xcel, Colorado’s largest electric utility, straying from its timeline to phase out coal facilities.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Smith reached for the catch, his foot straying from the plate for a perilous split-second before landing just in time.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2026
In one reading, Louise’s terrorist arc is a refreshing subversion of the political correctness of Cash’s millennial forebears, the Patricia Lockwoods and Sally Rooneys and Sheila Hetis of the world, who might never dream of straying from their lane of lived experience.
—Malavika Kannan, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
Kraft Heinz has lost out to rivals, with Cahillane saying a recent spate of price hikes alienated consumers who were already straying from its brands in favor of healthier alternatives at a lower cost.
—Reuters
wire Service, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straying
Verb
-
Wear it with sandals to the beach, throw on sneakers for wandering around town, and add a cardigan when the evening gets breezy.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Apr. 2026
-
In addition to wandering tourists, expect to see theater crew, set designers, actors, and matronly sensei in pastel kimonos and big, pinned up hairdos haunting the vicinity.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Transit officials said the fence was essential and long overdue to prevent people from trespassing on the tracks and being killed, as trains were becoming faster and more frequent.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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On Monday, March 2, two weeks before the fire, the person living in the basement apartment in the building complained to the property manager that Slate was trespassing in the maintenance and boiler area, Pekara said.—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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All of this comes at a time when the market has greater appetite for larger scale deals, despite Lauder’s falling stock price.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Straying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straying. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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