stray

stray in

1. To wander in(to some place), especially when one is not supposed to be there. Make sure not to leave the back doors open, or feral cats will stray in during the night. Some child strayed in the laboratory and began fiddling with the sensitive machinery inside.
2. To wander aimlessly around some place. A noun or pronoun can be used between "stray" and "in." Don't let the children stray in the forest, or they will surely get lost. We were just idly straying in the field, admiring the silence of the falling snow.
See also: stray

stray into (some place)

To wander into some place, especially when one is not supposed to be there. Make sure not to leave the back doors open, or feral cats will stray in during the night. Some child strayed in the laboratory and began fiddling with the sensitive machinery inside.
See also: stray

stray on

1. To wander on(to something or some place), especially when one is not supposed to be there. I keep an electrified fence around my fields to keep wild animals from straying on at night. Be sure not to stray on Old Man Cratchit's land—he's liable to shoot you if he catches you!
2. To wander around on some area or piece of land. We spent the afternoon straying idly on the beach. I watched the kids straying on the field across the street, trying to catch the falling snow on their tongues.
See also: on, stray

stray onto (some place)

To wander onto something or some place, especially when one is not supposed to be there. I keep an electrified fence around my fields to keep wild animals from straying onto it at night. Be sure not to stray onto Old Man Cratchit's land—he's liable to shoot you if he catches you!
See also: stray

stray round

An errant bullet or similar charge of ammunition. A stray round from the firefight in the street ended up shattering Mrs. Davis's window. How many lives in this neighborhood have been claimed by stray rounds, huh? The violence needs to stop!
See also: round, stray

waifs and strays

People or animals that are in need of a place to stay. "Waif" commonly refers to a person or animal that has been abandoned. It's heartbreaking to see so many waifs and strays wandering the city streets, with no one to care for them.
See also: and, stray
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

stray (away) (from something)

to drift away from or wander away from a particular topic or location. (The option elements cannot be transposed.) Please don't stray from the general area of discussion. Sally strayed away from her topic a number of times.

stray in(to something)

to wander into something. The deer strayed into the town and ruined almost everyone's garden. We left the gate open, and the cows strayed in and drank from the pond.
See also: stray

stray onto something

to wander onto an area, such as a parcel of land. Your cows strayed onto my land and ate my marigolds! If your horse strays onto my land one more time, it's my horse!
See also: stray
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

ˌwaifs and ˈstrays


1 people with no home, especially children in a big city: There are lots of waifs and strays living on the streets here.
2 (humorous) lonely people with nowhere else to go: My wife is always inviting various waifs and strays from work to our house. She seems to attract them.
See also: and, stray
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • be like ships in the night
  • not for a second
  • not for a minute
  • not for a moment
  • aint
  • ain't
  • not exactly
  • not for a instant
  • not for a/one minute/moment/second/instant
  • not by any means
References in periodicals archive
'I need about RM400 every week to take care of the cats in my house and also the strays,' she added.
To feed stray animals, this woman dresses up as a clown on weekends
Caption: DON'T MESS WITH US--This pack of stray mutts in Tehran doesn't seem terribly impressed with the latest plan to keep them out of populated areas.
Yet another plan unveiled to control stray dogs
Faisalabad University of Agriculture sub-campus principal Prof Dr Qamar Bilal said on the occasion that 80 percent of the stray dogs were useful for the people as they often sit on the corner of streets or outside the outhouse because they are given food by the residents of those area and they act like pet dogs who protect the houses from intruders.
550 stray dogs vaccinated against rabies
Last year, the VCO was able to impound 2,400 stray dogs.
Tacloban vet office roams city to impound stray dogs
India has effectively dealt with stray animals, and we should seek their help in solving this problem, if necessary.
Stray animals on the streets of Africa's 'Cleanest City', Accra
Muriithi said they will "humanely" kill all stray dogs using a shot gun similar to the one used on cows so that the canines do not suffer.
City to spend Sh100m to kill stray dogs
During yesterday's meeting - which was attended by councillors, municipality officials, Interior Ministry representatives and members of the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) - a comprehensive solution to the country's stray dogs problem was discussed.
100 complaints about strays
The post New programme will see stray cats neutered appeared first on Cyprus Mail .
New programme will see stray cats neutered
While taking action over the incident, the district administration launched a campaign against stray dogs and culled 10 of them.
Stray dog mauls man to death in Uch Sharif
The parents of the minor victim held the municipal corporation responsible for the increasing population of stray dogs in the area and not taking any stringent measures to provide safety to people from the brutal stray animals' attack.
Stray dogs attack 3-year-old boy in Bhopal
Stray Kids debuted in March with the album "I am NOT" and the group is composed of Changbin, Woojin, Han, Felix, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and I.N.
Spotify feat for Stray Kids
The municipality should build stray dog shelters all over the country so that they don't harm people and get a place to live in.
Stray dog menace
Men, women, innocent babies and feeble persons were being attacked and bitten by stray dogs and citizens were facing danger of such situation .Earlier, Badin municipal authorities took initiative to kill such stray dogs, wandering in the city and a drive was also launched but it was discontinued of unknown reasons which has caused worsen conditions for citizens especially for commuters.
Stray dogs walking along the roads and streets poses danger to citizens
Stray Kids dropped their first debut album "I am NOT" on the same day.
Boy band Stray Kids' debut album goes viral
In a press briefing held Monday, Albayalde echoed the assessment of the Department of Health that there was a significant decrease in firecracker-related injuries and stray bullet incidents.
New Year festivities in NCR 'pleasant, peaceful' Albayalde