stray

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stray

 (strā)
intr.v. strayed, stray·ing, strays
1.
a. To move away from a group, deviate from a course, or escape from established limits: strayed away from the tour group to look at some sculptures.
b. To move without a destination or purpose; wander: cows that strayed across the road toward the river. See Synonyms at wander.
2. To be directed without apparent purpose; look in an idle or casual manner: The driver's eyes strayed from the road toward the fields.
3. To follow a winding or erratic course: "White mists began to rise ... on the surface of the river and stray about the roots of the trees upon its borders" (J.R.R. Tolkien).
4. To act contrary to moral or proper behavior, especially in being sexually unfaithful: "He strayed from his marriage and fathered a son with a village woman" (Adam Hochschild).
5. To become diverted, as from a subject or train of thought: strayed from our original purpose. See Synonyms at swerve.
n.
One that has strayed, especially a domestic animal wandering about.
adj.
1. Straying or having strayed; wandering or lost: stray cats and dogs.
2. Scattered or separate: a few stray crumbs.

[Middle English straien, from Old French estraier, from estree, highway, from Latin strāta; see street.]

stray′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

stray

(streɪ)
vb (intr)
1. to wander away, as from the correct path or from a given area
2. to wander haphazardly
3. to digress from the point, lose concentration, etc
4. to deviate from certain moral standards
n
5. (Zoology)
a. a domestic animal, fowl, etc, that has wandered away from its place of keeping and is lost
b. (as modifier): stray dogs.
6. a lost or homeless person, esp a child: waifs and strays.
7. an isolated or random occurrence, specimen, etc, that is out of place or outside the usual pattern
adj
scattered, random, or haphazard: a stray bullet grazed his thigh.
[C14: from Old French estraier, from Vulgar Latin estragāre (unattested), from Latin extrā- outside + vagāri to roam; see astray, extravagant, stravaig]
ˈstrayer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

stray

(streɪ)

v.i.
1. to deviate from the direct or proper course: to stray from the main road.
2. to wander; roam: straying from room to room.
3. to deviate, as from a moral course.
4. to become distracted; digress.
n.
5. a domestic animal found wandering at large or without an owner.
6. any homeless or friendless person or animal.
7. a person or animal that strays.
adj.
8. straying or having strayed.
9. found or occurring apart from others or as an isolated or casual instance; incidental; occasional.
[1250–1300; (v.) Middle English, aph. variant of astraien, estraien < Old French estraier < Vulgar Latin *extrāvagāre to wander out of bounds (see extravagant)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Stray

 a number of stray beasts; of stragglers from an army, 1717; a detached fragment, 1789.
Examples: stray of bullocks and heifers, 1717; the scattered stray, 1597.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

stray


Past participle: strayed
Gerund: straying

Imperative
stray
stray
Present
I stray
you stray
he/she/it strays
we stray
you stray
they stray
Preterite
I strayed
you strayed
he/she/it strayed
we strayed
you strayed
they strayed
Present Continuous
I am straying
you are straying
he/she/it is straying
we are straying
you are straying
they are straying
Present Perfect
I have strayed
you have strayed
he/she/it has strayed
we have strayed
you have strayed
they have strayed
Past Continuous
I was straying
you were straying
he/she/it was straying
we were straying
you were straying
they were straying
Past Perfect
I had strayed
you had strayed
he/she/it had strayed
we had strayed
you had strayed
they had strayed
Future
I will stray
you will stray
he/she/it will stray
we will stray
you will stray
they will stray
Future Perfect
I will have strayed
you will have strayed
he/she/it will have strayed
we will have strayed
you will have strayed
they will have strayed
Future Continuous
I will be straying
you will be straying
he/she/it will be straying
we will be straying
you will be straying
they will be straying
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been straying
you have been straying
he/she/it has been straying
we have been straying
you have been straying
they have been straying
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been straying
you will have been straying
he/she/it will have been straying
we will have been straying
you will have been straying
they will have been straying
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been straying
you had been straying
he/she/it had been straying
we had been straying
you had been straying
they had been straying
Conditional
I would stray
you would stray
he/she/it would stray
we would stray
you would stray
they would stray
Past Conditional
I would have strayed
you would have strayed
he/she/it would have strayed
we would have strayed
you would have strayed
they would have strayed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.stray - an animal that has strayed (especially a domestic animal)stray - an animal that has strayed (especially a domestic animal)
domestic animal, domesticated animal - any of various animals that have been tamed and made fit for a human environment
Verb1.stray - move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employmentstray - move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment; "The gypsies roamed the woods"; "roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam across the prairie"; "the laborers drift from one town to the next"; "They rolled from town to town"
go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
maunder - wander aimlessly
gad, gallivant, jazz around - wander aimlessly in search of pleasure
drift, err, stray - wander from a direct course or at random; "The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her"; "don't drift from the set course"
wander - go via an indirect route or at no set pace; "After dinner, we wandered into town"
2.stray - wander from a direct course or at random; "The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her"; "don't drift from the set course"
go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
rove, stray, roam, vagabond, wander, swan, ramble, range, drift, tramp, cast, roll - move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment; "The gypsies roamed the woods"; "roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam across the prairie"; "the laborers drift from one town to the next"; "They rolled from town to town"
3.stray - lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking; "She always digresses when telling a story"; "her mind wanders"; "Don't digress when you give a lecture"
tell - let something be known; "Tell them that you will be late"
Adj.1.stray - not close together in time; "isolated instances of rebellion"; "a few stray crumbs"
sporadic - recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances; "a city subjected to sporadic bombing raids"
2.stray - (of an animal) having no home or having wandered away from home; "a stray calf"; "a stray dog"
lost - no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered; "a lost child"; "lost friends"; "his lost book"; "lost opportunities"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

stray

verb
1. wander, roam, go astray, range, drift, meander, rove, straggle, lose your way, be abandoned or lost, stra (S.M.S.) A railway line crosses the park so children must not be allowed to stray.
2. drift, wander, roam, meander, rove, stra (S.M.S.) She could not keep her eyes from straying towards him.
3. digress, diverge, deviate, ramble, get sidetracked, go off at a tangent, get off the point, stra (S.M.S.) Anyway, as usual, we seem to have strayed from the point.
4. be unfaithful, play around (informal), have affairs, play the field (informal), philander, stra (S.M.S.) Some men are womanizers, others would never stray.
adjective
1. lost, abandoned, homeless, roaming, vagrant, stra (S.M.S.) A stray dog came up to him.
2. random, chance, freak, accidental, odd, scattered, erratic, stra (S.M.S.) An 8-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet.
noun
1. homeless animal, waif, foundling, stra (S.M.S.), abandoned dog or cat The dog was a stray which had been adopted.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

stray

verb
1. To move about at random, especially over a wide area:
2. To turn away from a prescribed course of action or conduct:
Archaic: err.
3. To turn aside, especially from the main subject in writing or speaking:
Idiom: go off at a tangent.
adjective
1. Unable to find the correct way or place to go:
2. Without a fixed or regular course:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
شارِد، ضال، تائِهشارِد، ليس من المَجْموعَهضَالّقِط أو كَلْب شارِديَتوه، يَشْرُد، يَضيع
blouditjednotlivýtoulavé zvířezatoulané zvířezatoulaný
herreløst dyromstrejfendeforvilde sigherreløs
eksynytharhaillakulkukoira / kulkukissapoiketa
lutalica
elkóboroltkóbor állat
dreifîur, strjállflækings-flækingsdÿr, heimilislaust dÿrflækjast, villast
捨[す]て・・・
길 잃은 동물
atklydęsnuklydęsnuklystipaklystivalkataujantis
klaiņojošsklaiņojošs/bezmāju dzīvnieksnejaušsnoklīdisnoklīst
túlavé zvierazatúlanýzatúlať sa
klateški
vilsekommet djur
สัตว์ที่หลงทาง
başıboş dolaşanbaşıboş dolaşmakbaşıboş hayvansürüden ayrılmıştek tük
gia súc bị lạc

stray

[streɪ]
A. ADJ
1. (= errant) [bullet] → perdido; [sheep] → descarriado; [cow, dog] → extraviado
a stray cat (= lost) → un gato extraviado; (= alley cat) → un gato callejero
2. (= isolated, occasional) → aislado
in a few stray casesen algunos casos aislados
a few stray carsalgún que otro coche
a few stray thoughtsunos cuantos pensamientos inconexos
B. N
1. (= animal) → animal m extraviado; (= child) → niño/a m/f sin hogar, niño/a m/f desamparado/a
2. strays (Rad) → parásitos mpl
C. VI
1. [animal] (= roam) → extraviarse; (= get lost) → perderse, extraviarse
if the gate is left open the cattle straysi se deja abierta la puerta las vacas se escapan
2. (= wander) [person] → vagar, ir sin rumbo fijo; [speaker, thoughts] → desvariar
to stray from (also fig) → apartarse de
we had strayed two kilometres from the pathnos habíamos desviado dos kilómetros del camino
they strayed into the enemy camperraron el camino y se encontraron en el campamento enemigo
my thoughts strayed to the holidaysempecé a pensar en las vacaciones
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

stray

[ˈstreɪ]
adj
[dog, cat] → errant(e)
a stray cat → un chat errant
[hair] → rebelle
stray bullet → balle perdue
(= occasional)
Stray pieces of information came my way → Des bribes d'informations me parvenaient.
vi
[person] → s'aventurer
[mind, thoughts, eyes] → errer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

stray

vi (also stray away)sich verirren, abirren; (also stray about)(umher)streunen; (fig: thoughts, speaker) → abschweifen; to stray (away) from something (lit, fig)von etw abkommen; to stray from a pathvon einem Weg abkommen; to stray from the path of virtuevom rechten Weg or vom Pfad der Tugend abkommen; the cattle strayed into the roaddie Rinder haben sich auf die Straße verirrt; they strayed into the enemy campsie verirrten sich ins feindliche Lager
adj child, bullet, cattleverirrt; cat, dog etcstreunend attr; (= ownerless)herrenlos; (= isolated) remarks, houses, cases, hairsvereinzelt; (= single) remark, successeinzeln; (= occasional)gelegentlich; thoughtsflüchtig
n
(= dog, cat)streunendes Tier; (ownerless) → herrenloses Tier; that cat’s a straydas ist eine herrenlose Katze ? waif
strays pl (Rad) → (atmosphärische) Störungen pl
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

stray

[streɪ]
1. adj (dog, cat) → randagio/a; (person, cow, sheep) → smarrito/a
he was killed by a stray bullet → è stato ucciso da un proiettile vagante
a few stray cars → qualche rara macchina
2. n (animal) → randagio m
3. vi (animal, get lost) → smarrirsi, perdersi; (wander, person) → allontanarsi, staccarsi dal gruppo; (speaker) → divagare; (thoughts) → vagare
some cows strayed into the garden → delle mucche hanno sconfinato nel giardino
to stray into enemy territory → ritrovarsi in territorio nemico
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

stray

(strei) verb
to wander, especially from the right path, place etc. The shepherd went to search for some sheep that had strayed; to stray from the point.
noun
a cat, dog etc that has strayed and has no home.
adjective
1. wandering or lost. stray cats and dogs.
2. occasional, or not part of a general group or tendency. The sky was clear except for one or two stray clouds.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

stray

ضَالّ zatoulané zvíře herreløst dyr streunendes Tier αδέσποτο animal perdido kulkukoira / kulkukissa animal errant lutalica randagio 捨[す]て・・・ 길 잃은 동물 zwerver spredning zabłąkane zwierzę vadio бездомный vilsekommet djur สัตว์ที่หลงทาง sürüden ayrılmış gia súc bị lạc 走失的动物
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in periodicals archive ?
The Strayers had the right idea: Timing and preparation make for good traveling companions when the unpredictable gantlet of weather - not to mention crowds - stands between you and your turkey dinner.
East of the pass, Tom Strayer and his adult sons, Dustin and Jake, struggled with chains on their blue minivan as a biting wind whipped snow around them.
The family dog keeps the window defrosted while brothers Jake and Dustin Strayer put chains on the tires of their minivan at the top of Santiam Pass on Tuesday on their way to Salem.