How to Use stray in a Sentence

stray

1 of 3 noun

• Both of her cats were strays that she found wandering in the neighborhood.
• Also in need of a new home is Breeze, a 1-year-old, white and brown guinea pig that was a stray.
  — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2022
• His in-laws are constantly on the lookout for a stray can.
  — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 May 2022
• As the scared dogs were shepherded one by one into the van, there was one stray among the strays.
  — Washington Post, 25 June 2021
• Golloway soon found out that Butter wasn't a stray at all.
  — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2021
• Lucky was a stray and had been taken in by neighbors of ours in Conroe.
  — Annette McGivney, Outside Online, 4 Apr. 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
• The report did not mention whether any arrests had been made, nor whether the cats were strays or pets.
  — Chris Lau, CNN, 24 Oct. 2023
• The story of the stalwart stray went viral, covered by news outlets around the world.
  — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024
• Our little rescue doodle had been a stray on the streets; no one knew for how long.
  — Johnny Runnette, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022
• Authorities said the dog was not a stray, and its owner is aware that it was killed.
  — Dallas News, 27 Feb. 2023
• Whenever a customer entered, the stray would dart into the store and head straight to the toy section.
  — James Lileks, Star Tribune, 30 Apr. 2021
• He was found as a stray and is now looking for his forever home.
  — The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 9 Dec. 2022
• The cat was a stray that attacked the owner’s dog and the individual was exposed at the time.
  — Leada Gore | [e-mail], al, 17 Aug. 2023
• First, the shelter often uses certain themes to name strays that come in.
  — Sydney Page, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
• Dana arrived at the shelter in November 2020 when she was picked up as a stray.
  — Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Nov. 2022
• At one point, the ragtag pack of four homeless strays spies a U.S. Postal Service billboard.
  — Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2023
• The boy, who has not been publicly identified, is dragged by the pack for several feet, writhing in pain as the strays pounce.
  — Rhea Mogul, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023
• Then there’s Hawkeye, the 3-year-old pit bull who entered as a stray with an arrow shot through his left front paw.
  — Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 11 Feb. 2024
• The floral blend strays away from softness and leans all the dark and warm, courtesy of bergamot, incense, vanilla and more.
  — ELLE, 1 Aug. 2023
• Socks, a black-and-white adopted stray, had the run of the White House during the Clinton administration.
  — Washington Post, 1 May 2021
• Natalia Zhdanova, 40, found Fedya as a weak and sickly stray in her backyard when the cat was just a few days old.
  — People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 28 Sep. 2021
• Lots of cats: seven strays who had somehow adopted her (and vice versa).
  — Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
• This 1-year-old mama cat came to Sun Cities 4 Paws Rescue, having been found with her two babies as a stray.
  — The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2023
• If these aren't available, poke a hole through the top of a disposable plastic cup and have children hold the end of the sparkler inside the cup to protect their hands from stray sparks.
  — Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 June 2021
• An animal impounded at the shelter will be on hold as a stray for three days instead of five.
  — Annie Blanks, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Nov. 2022
• Angelo is a sweet 5-year-old, 10 pound Chihuahua that joined Friends for Life recently from the county as a stray.
  — The Republic/usa Today Network, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2021
• Heffernan took him in as a stray a few weeks before the Camp Fire — the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history.
  — Sydney Page, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
• The six-month-old pup had been a hungry stray in Louisiana, found foraging for food on a hot, busy road.
  — Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 19 Sep. 2022
• Roxy arrived at Friends for Life Animal Rescue as a stray.
  — The Arizona Republic, 10 June 2022

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stray

2 of 3 verb

• The airplane strayed off course.
• With this one, the reasons kind of strayed from my gut.
  — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 8 Apr. 2023
• The record doesn’t stray far from his trusty blueprints.
  — Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 6 Oct. 2023
• Hann, by contrast, had strayed far from the main green, long a site for protests.
  — TIME, 19 Dec. 2023
• Oregon isn’t going to stray from the style Graves’ teams have played over the years.
  — oregonlive, 25 Oct. 2022
• Yet the pastas include reasons to stray from the starters.
  — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
• Some of the officers’ stray rounds hit a nearby garage, a truck and a fence.
  — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2023
• Cyan hasn’t strayed far from this formula with the P1800 GT.
  — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024
• The action on the House floor this week captured just how far afield the debate has strayed.
  — Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
• Overnight, skies may cloud up a bit as a slight chance of a brief, stray shower rolls through the region.
  — A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2023
• These days, the best peacoats don’t stray too far from the original.
  — Isaiah Freeman-Schub, Robb Report, 16 Nov. 2023
• Hudson felt the new line strayed a bit away from what he’s largely known for.
  — Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Sep. 2023
• His fingers stray to the collar of his T-shirt, giving it a tug.
  — Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2022
• These vagabond spikes of the Padres, longing to stray, are Los Angeles bound.
  — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2022
• At night, my eyes look up to the stars and then stray along the mountain peaks, which are capped by snow and which the morning sun roasts at 6:30.
  — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2022
• There are, of course, always a handful of celebs that stray from the theme, but some really do hit the nail on the head.
  — Brittany Natale, Redbook, 3 May 2023
• If anything, it’s strayed even further away from that goal.
  — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 15 Oct. 2023
• On closer inspection, the comma turns out to be some schmutz or stray ink.
  — Han Ong, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
• For skiers looking to stray away from the standard straight-leg ski pant, the Roxy Rising High Pants are your best option.
  — Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 2 Feb. 2023
• Here’s a guide of what to do, where to stay, and how to stray—in five-star style, of course—during the grandest open Down Under running Jan 14 through 28.
  — Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2024
• But the Keys never stray far from the unvarnished blues-rock that’s always been their calling card.
  — Dallas News, 13 Oct. 2022
• Rain chances hold off until midday, when a light, stray shower could pop.
  — A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
• Typically, orcas don’t stray from the pods they’re born in, according to the park.
  — Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024
• The Neeson boys haven’t strayed far from their parents’ careers either.
  — Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024
• And no more excuses for the other players, who have strayed from the principles that made the franchise great for two decades.
  — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2023
• That said, trends didn’t stray too far from yesteryear either.
  — Joyce Onuorah, Essence, 22 Dec. 2023
• The windy, drier air continues to move in with the chance of a rogue, stray shower quickly ending by sunset.
  — A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2023
• On the other hand, you can still be tempted to stray from a task at hand and risk wandering into conflict.
  — Chicago Tribune, 17 Nov. 2022
• Huston, in public appearances, has not strayed far from the wording of his original statement.
  — Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024
• Boeing desperately needs a hard slap in the face to transform a mindset that’s strayed from the obsession with quality that made the planemaker great to a focus on speed and profits.
  — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

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stray

3 of 3 adjective

• For one, the flat edges of facets become sources of stray light.
  — IEEE Spectrum, 21 May 2023
• Maybe a Granny Smith apple slice or a stray grape found in the back of the fridge.
  — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 30 Aug. 2023
• The thickness and the loose accordion pleats give the broth and the stray bits of pork something to cling to.
  — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2023
• At age 10, he was struck in the back of the head with a stray bullet that shattered his skull.
  — Liz Szabo, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2023
• Over eight years ago, Knox was struck in the back of the head by a stray bullet at a party.
  — Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Dec. 2022
• The study showed that owners were found for 63.5% of stray cats with microchips.
  — Jennifer Rodriguez The Charlotte Observer (tns), al, 25 Aug. 2023
• Names and scenarios have been changed, and stray plots dropped.
  — Missy Frederick, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
• Darvin Ham survived the streets, a stray bullet and intense grief to coach the Lakers.
  — Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2022
• Long story short: A stray dog followed us for a full day.
  — Juliet Pennington, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2023
• Jasper Wu, 23 months, was riding in his car seat when he was struck in the head by a stray bullet.
  — Noah Goldbergstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2022
• The stray bullet came from a shooting just west of the park, police said on Facebook.
  — Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 1 May 2023
• During the proceedings, a stray bee lands on Zoya's lapel and the Squaller promptly swats it away.
  — Nick Romano, EW.com, 16 Mar. 2023
• Some cooks do this over a bowl of water, in which case the seeds fall to the bottom, and any stray bits of flesh float to the top and can be skimmed off.
  — Karoline Boehm Goodnick, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Jan. 2023
• There’s a 40% chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm.
  — Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 11 Sep. 2023
• But right now, in the calm of the still-early hour, Ms. Mason bends to pluck a stray weed or examine a new bud.
  — Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jan. 2024
• When the entire pattern is filled in, and all stray pieces of yarn have been tied and trimmed, remove the carpet pad and cloth from the frame.
  — Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2023
• Washington was hit in the side by stray bullets, around an inch from his colon, the lawsuit claims.
  — Eli Masket, CNN, 18 Aug. 2023
• Sure, there were the local drunks, the teenage hooligans who tortured stray cats, but even these wayward bees had a place in the hive.
  — Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
• Clouds may bubble up during the midday, with a stray shower not out of the question.
  — A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
• On the third day of fighting, a stray shell punched through Ms. Abdelgadir’s home, sending it up in flames.
  — Declan Walsh, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2023
• Lows fall back to the upper 30s and low 40s with partly to mostly cloudy skies and perhaps a stray shower.
  — Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2023
• Earlier in the day, the elk had attacked two stray dogs that had threatened her newborn, @natureismetal wrote.
  — Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 23 Nov. 2023
• Gillian Segal kept it simple with a neutral palette and a stray twig.
  — Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 11 Aug. 2023
• Still, there’s always a glimmer of something worth noticing in a new trend, a stray statistic, a shift in thought.
  — Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2023
• There’s a very low chance for a stray shower hanging on early this morning.
  — Kxas-Tv (nbc5), Dallas News, 21 Apr. 2023
• Police said a man was found at a mobile home with a gunshot wound on one of his legs and may have been struck by a stray bullet.
  — CBS News, 12 Jan. 2023
• The field teams go through areas cleared for safety and collect both stray animals and the remains of those that were killed.
  — Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
• Most of these will arrive after 2 a.m. tonight, but a stray shower or two could make it to the San Bruno Gap closer to midnight.
  — Gerry Díaz, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Mar. 2023
• In fact, a large wildfire last year was started by stray burning debris and spread to over 700 acres, according to the state DNR.
  — David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024
• Monday — the exact moment a partial solar eclipse peaked above San Diego — a stray cloud moved out of the way, revealing a sharp orange crescent sun set against skies as blue as robins’ eggs.
  — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024

Last Updated: 5 Sep 2024