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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to trespass
to commit an offense
our straying son swears he's returned to the straight and narrow
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of stray
East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
She’s saddled with an impossible role — that of Susan, an unhappy American wife on vacation with her husband in Morocco, where she’s hit by a stray bullet that puts her life in danger and generates artificial life-or-death stakes.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
But Agatha ultimately strayed from Marvel Studios’ usual pattern, and no such scenes came.
—Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stray 
Adjective
And Price withdrew special-circumstances allegations against the men accused of killing 23-month-old Jasper Wu with a stray bullet during a 2021 freeway shooting.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
She’s saddled with an impossible role — that of Susan, an unhappy American wife on vacation with her husband in Morocco, where she’s hit by a stray bullet that puts her life in danger and generates artificial life-or-death stakes.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
The video, which has been viewed more than 1.4 million times to date, shows the golden retriever offering the timid stray their favorite toy.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
But Agatha ultimately strayed from Marvel Studios’ usual pattern, and no such scenes came.
—Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stray
Adjective
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Your private key is the secret random number that generates your public key, and therefore your Bitcoin address.Korok Ray, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
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The judge in the case reduced that sentence to eight years in prison and a $15,100 fine — with three of those eight years to be served in home detention — with Kennedy also ordered to serve five years of probation and undergo random drug testing and mental health counseling.Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
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On their way to check out their family property, a group of teenagers trespassed on the land of a nearby house, home of the monstrous, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface.Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024
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People threw at least three green flares onto the field, stopping play, and a pair of fans trespassed the diamond in the ninth inning before security guards tackled them.Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Children on the autism spectrum tend to wander, or elope, from home and other safe places at a higher rate than their peers, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
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Some bucks might wander 5 to 8 miles or more, while others move 2 miles or less.Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Along with the combination of music and video programming, Plex has also carved out a niche for consumers who maintain their own personal libraries but don’t want to surrender them in the more arbitrary streaming era.Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
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Examples include the awarding of government contracts without open bidding, arbitrary tax breaks, and the issuance of government licenses or mining concessions to friends.Michael Posner, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Valor recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock after that as Regis fell a win short of the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024
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That’s in part because Democrats fell short in their bid to flip enough battleground districts in Southern California and the Central Valley to help the national party win a majority.Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near stray
Cite this Entry
“Stray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stray. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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