# stray

> English word · Noun · IPA /stɹeɪ/ · frequency rank #10,614

## Definitions
1. Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray.
2. A person who is lost.
3. An act of wandering off or going astray.
4. An area of common land for use by domestic animals.
5. An article of movable property, of which the owner is not known (see waif).
6. An instance of atmospheric interference.
7. A casual or offhand insult.
8. A submissive that has not committed to submit to any particular dominant, particulary in petplay.
9. Ellipsis of stray bullet.

## Etymology
From Middle English stray, strey, from Anglo-Norman estray, stray, Old French estrai, from the verb (see below).

## Easily confused with
- **sway** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-sway)
- **sura** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-sura)
- **study** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-study)
- **strip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-strip)
- **strut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-strut)
- **sutra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-sutra)
- **surly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-surly)
- **strep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-strep)
- **surry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-surry)
- **stream** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-stream)
- **streak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-streak)
- **sturdy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stray-vs-sturdy)
- **say** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/say-vs-stray)
- **STA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sta-vs-stray)
- **STR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/str-vs-stray)
- **sry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sry-vs-stray)
- **stay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stay-vs-stray)
- **star** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/star-vs-stray)
- **stan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stan-vs-stray)
- **Sara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sara-vs-stray)

## Common misspellings (8)
`srtay`, `sstray`, `stary`, `strayy`, `strray`, `strya`, `sttray`, `tsray`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stray