Noun Both of her cats were strays that she found wandering in the neighborhood. Verb The airplane strayed off course. our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow Adjectivestray sightings of UFO's, none of which have been rigorously analyzed by scientists
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The driver was not injured, but his car’s back window was shattered by an apparent stray bullet. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 In a political city, a reading so near to 90 might prompt partly serious efforts to find the stray degree by a thermal recount. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 20 Aug. 2022 Animal control issued an emergency plea late Tuesday, saying the agency’s headquarters and adoption center, where stray and owner-released animals are housed, was overcrowded. Matt Bruce, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 Nearby, half a dozen stray dogs lie in the shade of a tree, sniffing at rotting apples on the ground. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022 Despite the occasional stray chord, early entrance or rusty patch, Metallica remained committed to its craft and challenged itself to make even staple material feel vital. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2022 The story behind the cattle sting starts on March 2, 2021, when Special Ranger Marty Baker, 58, was dispatched from Midland, Texas, to Loving County to investigate the shooting deaths of five black stray cattle. Susan Carroll, NBC News, 22 July 2022 Once a malnourished stray, Vinny-Duke was trained by prisoners in Florida. Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 14 July 2022 In encountering a stray, any productive measures taken to aid the animal are encouraged and helpful, Walker said. Griffin Wiles, The Indianapolis Star, 12 July 2022
Verb
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Amazon on antitrust grounds Wednesday, arguing that the e-commerce titan uses its power to keep third-party sellers off competing marketplaces and punishes those who stray from the company’s platform. Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2022 Because of this, female consumers tended to stray away from any CBD purchases. Stephanie Burns, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2021 Wisconsin, however, is one of 13 states whose tax codes stray from the federal government, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 Today, officials retrieve most wolves that stray beyond. Matt Mcclain, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 Regardless of why birds stray, vagrants can be a surprising source of revenue for local economies as birders flock for their chance to add an exclusive avian to their lifetime lists of birds. Marina Wang, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Aug. 2022 The police commissioner or other agency head then could impose harsher discipline than the committee recommends, but cannot stray below their recommendation. Lea Skene, Baltimore Sun, 28 June 2022 The result is often the development of sub-brands, many of which stray drastically from the look and feel of the primary corporate brand. Roger Boutin, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 While authenticity is always essentially, stray too authentic and the result can feel like kitsch. Dckaufman, Robb Report, 20 July 2022
Adjective
Stubbs seems genuinely delighted when he isn’t hit by any stray bullets. Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022 The second car hit by stray bullets was unoccupied, police said.BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022 Largely overlooked are the day-to-day handgun deaths attributable to domestic violence, crossfire from stray bullets, criminal acts, gang wars, personal disputes and, in many cases, suicides. Barbara Davidson, Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Oakland police said a sixth person was injured by stray bullets during the Fourth of July fireworks show at the Coliseum, likely from gunfire recklessly shot by someone outside the ballpark. Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 July 2022 Criminal consequences for stray bullets may include battery, homicide, criminal recklessness or vandalism charges depending on the damage the gunfire causes. Hannah Brock, The Indianapolis Star, 29 June 2022 The assailants also killed passersby who were hit by stray bullets. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 5 June 2022 Multiple vehicles were hit by stray bullets and dozens of shell casings were recovered from the scene. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 27 May 2022 Prior to the February shooting, a September brawl led to gunshots that sent several stray bullets into the Georgia Aquarium’s dolphin enclosure, according to the city’s complaint. Alexis Stevens, ajc, 26 Apr. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French estraié, past participle of estraier
Verb
Middle English straien, from Anglo-French estraier, from Vulgar Latin *extravagare, from Latin extra- outside + vagari to wander — more at extra-