stray

Formsstrays, straying, strayed

Pluralstrays

1. 1
   verbintransitive

   To move away from the path or direction you were meant to follow.

   Try not to stray from the trail when you walk in the woods.

   Her eyes kept straying to the clock during the meeting.

   Similarwander, deviate, drift, digress

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A pet or farm animal that has no home or is lost and wanders around.

   We took the little stray to the animal shelter.

   The farmer found two strays in his field and called their owner.

   Note
3. 3
   adjective

   Lost, or wandering away from where it belongs.

   A stray dog followed me home from school.

   The town is trying to find homes for stray cats.

   Similarlost, homeless, wandering, loose

4. 4
   wander offverbintransitive

   To wander away from your group or from where you should be.

   Keep the dog on a leash so it doesn't stray.

   One of the sheep strayed from the flock and got lost.

   Similarwander, roam, drift

5. 5
   adjective

   In the wrong place, or where it does not belong.

   She brushed a stray hair off her face.

   I found a stray sock under the bed.

   Similarerrant, misplaced, random

   Note
6. 6
   do wrongverbintransitive

   To stop doing what is right or what you should do.

   He promised his mother he would never stray from the honest path again.

   A few players strayed from the team rules and missed the big game.

   Similarerr, sin, lapse, transgress

7. 7
   lost personnouncountable

   A person who is lost, either in a place or in life.

   A police officer helped the little stray find her parents at the fair.

   Grandma always took in strays at Thanksgiving, people with nowhere else to go.

   Similarstraggler, waif

   Note
8. 8
   random bulletnounabbreviationellipsis

   Short for stray bullet, a bullet that hits something it was not aimed at.

   A neighbor's kid was wounded by a stray last summer.

   A stray broke the front window of the bakery during the shooting.

   Note
9. 9
   casual insultnounslangcountable

   A quick, careless insult.

   I wasn't even in the argument, but I still caught a stray.

   He tossed off a stray about my haircut and kept talking.

   Similardig, jab, shot, swipe

   Note
10. 10
    nouncountable

    A time when someone or something wanders off or gets lost.

    The puppy came back from its stray covered in mud.

    One stray from the path was enough to get us lost.

    Similardetour, excursion, wander

Showing meanings only. Show all 15