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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.

See Examples For:

Happy ending for stray pup that sparked wild tarmac chase.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

If researchers tried to perform the experiment with a charged particle, stray electromagnetic fields could overwhelm the gravitational effect they are attempting to detect.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Back then, phone interruptions were mostly relegated to a few stray pings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

“Being from Wisconsin, I wasn’t used to seeing colonies of stray cats everywhere because that’s a very real problem that’s going on in L.A.,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Without waiting for a response, Jack quickly followed his own advice, wrapping stray shoots around his arms and kicking his legs through some other loops.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

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

From Salon ● May 15, 2026

“Yesteryear” strays from this well-worn narrative with Natalie, a deliciously unlikable protagonist whose greatest flaw is her competence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 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

There was a brief moment of silence as all the dogs remembered how they’d become strays.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

“I strayed on my wife, and it’s devastating to her and not a very pretty picture. What it isn’t is a crime,” he said at the time.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Mixue has strayed from its playbook by opening in expensive Manhattan and Hollywood ZIP Codes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

On our way back down, an Australian tourist strayed from the path toward a tunnel entrance.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Britain's Fin Tarling, 19, died during the Volta a Portugal on Friday following a high-speed collision with a van which had strayed on to the closed road.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

His fingers had strayed absently to his cheek, following the wiry scar that drew a path from his jawline to his crumpled nostril.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Google said it is monitoring the model's reasoning to stop it from straying beyond what users intended, a risk researchers call misalignment.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

American chip making giant Nvidia announced on Monday that it created a system designed to stop autonomous AI programs from straying beyond what they were instructed to do.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 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

Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has resigned following a political crisis over Russia-bound Ukrainian drones straying into Latvian territory.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

“We won’t have disruptions at Mobius. We are the first camp, and we will set the standard. And there will be consequences for anyone straying from the regulations.”

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed




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