as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
stray sightings of UFO's, none of which have been rigorously analyzed by scientists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to trespass
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stray
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Dallas police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday about whether officers responded to any calls involving injuries from stray bullets or fireworks.
—Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Some of that era’s optimism has since waned, as the prevailing conversation in hip-hop these days is a sense that the genre has strayed too far from its roots.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stray
Adjective
Don't leave out food for stray cats, either.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
Dallas police didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday about whether officers responded to any calls involving injuries from stray bullets or fireworks.
—Everton Bailey Jr, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
Characters who strayed were guided back into alignment, not violently eliminated.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Some of that era’s optimism has since waned, as the prevailing conversation in hip-hop these days is a sense that the genre has strayed too far from its roots.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stray
Adjective
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Police have started planning for next year’s New Year’s events, including traffic control and celebratory random gunfire, Comeaux said.—
Timia Cobb
Breaking News Reporter,
Dallas Morning News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Powering through the memory shortage Memory costs — primarily referring to DRAM, or dynamic random access memory used for temporary, short-term semiconductor memory and NAND used for long-term storage — have soared over the past year due to rising compute needs from AI data centers.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Just days before being taken into custody in New Jersey, the defendant was seen trespassing at a high school in Fredericksburg, Va.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
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Court records show that he was charged for allegedly causing a fire on timber or prairie lands while trespassing.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Its fractured, scattered form, grasping for structure instead of pretending to master it, is an attempt to build a future that will include both author and reader.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
1 Jan. 2026
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On Sunday, rain will pick up across the Midwest from Kansas and Missouri through Ohio and Pennsylvania while scattered thunderstorms are possible from Arkansas up to Ohio, with some possibly strong enough to bring gusty winds and maybe an isolated tornado.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Her third album, which is self-titled, is a document of wandering.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
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This meant that the MQ-20 could fly aggressively without the danger of wandering into restricted civilian airspace or high-threat corridors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The memorandum filed Monday argues the court should not adopt the deferential standard of arbitrary or capricious.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The judge also said the administration’s decision had been arbitrary and capricious, given its failure to consider Vineyard Wind’s interest in having the project continue on its schedule to a March completion.—
Mark Chediak,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The cold air is then expected to stay in place through the beginning of February, ensuring that whatever snow falls this weekend will stay on the ground for a while.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Only one other player has been ever elected by the writers with 1,500 or fewer hits — Roy Campanella (1,422) in 1969 — and that total falls far short of the average career hit mark for all Hall of Fame batters, which is 2,330.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stray. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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