First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1stray
noun \ˈstrā\
: an animal (such as a cat or dog) that is lost or has no home
: a person or thing that is separated from a group
Full Definition of STRAY
1
a : a domestic animal that is wandering at large or is lost b : a person or thing that strays
2
[Middle English, from straien to stray] archaic : the act of going astray
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Origin of STRAY
Middle English, from Anglo-French estraié, past participle of estraier
Rhymes with STRAY
a, ae, bay, bey, blae, brae, bray, chez, clay, Cray, day, dey, dray, eh, fay, fey, flay, fley, frae, fray, Frey, gay, Gay, gey, gley, gray, hay, he, hey, Hue, j, jay, Jay, k, kay, Kay, lay, lei, may, nay, né, née, neigh, Ney, pay, pe, play, pray, prey, qua, quai, quay, Rae, ray, re, say, shay, slay, sleigh, spae, spay, Spey, splay, spray, stay, sway, Tay, they, tray, trey, way, weigh, whey, yea
2stray
intransitive verb
: to go in a direction that is away from a group or from the place where you should be
Full Definition of STRAY
: wander: as a : to wander from company, restraint, or proper limits b : to roam about without fixed direction or purpose c : to move in a winding course : meander d : to move without conscious or intentional effort <eyes straying absently around the room> e : to become distracted from an argument or train of thought <strayed from the point> f : to wander accidentally from a fixed or chosen route g : err, sin
— stray·er noun
Origin of STRAY
Middle English straien, from Anglo-French estraier, from Vulgar Latin *extravagare, from Latin extra- outside + vagari to wander — more at extra-
First Known Use: 14th century
3stray
adjective
of an animal : lost or having no home
: separated from another or others of the same kind
: not in or going in the proper or intended place
Full Definition of STRAY
1
: having strayed or escaped from a proper or intended place <a stray dog>
2
: occurring at random or sporadically <stray thoughts>
3
: not serving any useful purpose : unwanted <stray light>
See stray defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of STRAY
1589
Related to STRAY
- Synonyms
- aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, erratic, haphazard, helter-skelter, hit-or-miss, scattered, slapdash, random
- Antonyms
- methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized
STRAY Defined for Kids
1stray
noun \ˈstrā\
Definition of STRAY for Kids
: a domestic animal (as a cat or dog) that is lost or has no home
2stray
verb
strayedstray·ing
Definition of STRAY for Kids
1
: to wander from a group or from the proper place : roam <The gate was left open and the cow strayed.>
2
: to go off from a direct or chosen route or the right course <We strayed from the path.>
3
: to become distracted from a topic or train of thought
Headscratcher for STRAY
Remove one letter from stray and you get its opposite: stay.
3stray
adjective
Definition of STRAY for Kids
1
: lost or having no home <a stray dog>
2
: not in the proper or intended place <I found a few stray socks.>
3
: occurring here and there : random <a few stray hairs>
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