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Definitions

stray

[stray] / streɪ /
ADJECTIVE
abandoned, wandering
Synonyms






Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Storms will start to arrive on Friday, with stray showers in isolated areas and maximum temperatures 5 to 10 degrees below normal, according to the forecast from the National Weather Service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, he writes in “Farewell to Russia,” is remarkable for its stray dogs and the “cloying smell of propane,” an alternative to gasoline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

During the subsequent appeal, seven objectors expressed concerns about the changes at the land linked to sanitation, stray animals and unusual noises.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Many current systems use superconducting circuits, but these are highly sensitive to electromagnetic noise and stray electrical charges - similar to the static electricity that can make hair cling to a balloon.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

"We will tie ourselves together. None of us can be trusted not to stray."

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Most kittens and cats brought to the shelter are strays, or so-called community cats without clear owners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

When our conversation strays into this territory, he turns blunt.

From Salon ● May 15, 2026

Mr. James has compiled his own self-help manifesto, one that strays into platitudes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

For casual listeners, there are other signs: Inconsistent drum patterns, bland lyrics, and a singer who never strays from the melody or lets rip on the final chorus.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026

She sat on the sofa and watched Hank retrieve the strays.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee

Townfall is not the first time the series has strayed away from the original game's location in America, 2025's Silent Hill f was set in 1960s rural Japan.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Inflation has strayed above the Fed target for more than five years.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

All in all I came up with about 50 songs, many of which strayed away from the original concept.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The high court rejected all three of those policies, but Alito never strayed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

But always their thoughts and words strayed back to Frodo and the Ring.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

"Parents and grandparents prayed their children would have hearts like the White Arrow, never straying from the proper path," says Elfrida Natkime, a young Amungme woman.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

But Venters said that the brand’s namesake designer is still dead-set on the company remaining a stalwart British brand-not straying too far from its cultural origin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

The move had some customers questioning if the app was straying too far from its original purpose.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026

Last week, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned after a political crisis over Russia-bound Ukrainian drones straying into Latvian territory.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Only the human mind is designed to work in this way, programmed to drift away in the presence of locked-on information, straying from each point in a hunt for a better, different point.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas


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