strangers

/ˈstreɪn.dʒər/ (bre, ipa) · [strˈendʒɚz] /ˈstreɪn.dʒɚ/ (ame, ipa) · [strˈendʒɚz] /ˈstrān-jər How to pronounce stranger (audio)/ (ame, mw)

strangers — noun

1. people whose names or faces are unfamiliar to you because you have not met them

1.名詞B1
釋義

people whose names or faces are unfamiliar to you because you have not met them before

例句

Tyler told his daughter not to open the door to strangers.

open the door to strangers - common safety warning

Two strangers offered Noa a map when she looked lost downtown.

同義詞
  • new faces

    informal and friendly; often used when unknown people join a group or event

  • unknowns

    rare as a noun; more abstract and less personal than 'strangers'

反義詞

文法句型

talk to strangers

strangers + plural verb

用法筆記

This sense is common in safety advice, introductions, and online discussions. It describes people who are unknown to you, not people from another country.

常見錯誤

❌The square was full of strangers from France.
✅The square was full of foreigners from France.
💡'strangers' means people you do not know, not simply people from another country.

2. people who are new in a place and do not yet know the local area, customs, or pe

2.名詞B1
釋義

people who are new in a place and do not yet know the local area, customs, or people

例句

After moving to Seoul, Sahil and Iris felt like strangers in the neighborhood.

feel like strangers in [place]

During the village festival, the tourists stood out as strangers among the locals.

同義詞
  • newcomers

    neutral and practical; emphasizes recent arrival more than confusion

  • visitors

    focuses on temporary presence; visitors may still know the place well

反義詞
  • locals

    people who belong to and know the place well

  • regulars

    people who often return to the same place and know how it works

文法句型

strangers in [place]

strangers to [area/activity]

用法筆記

Use this sense for people who are unfamiliar with a setting. It often appears with 'in' for a place and with 'to' for local rules, habits, or routines.

常見錯誤

❌We are strangers to this town because we are Canadian.
✅We are strangers to this town because we just arrived.
💡this sense is about unfamiliarity, not citizenship.

3. people who are not accepted as part of a group, family, or way of life

3.名詞B2
釋義

people who are not accepted as part of a group, family, or way of life

例句

After the merger, older staff felt like strangers in their own office.

feel like strangers in [their own group]

Even at family dinners, Tunde and Emre sat quietly like strangers.

同義詞
  • outsiders

    stronger and often more negative; suggests exclusion by the group

  • nonmembers

    formal and factual; used when membership itself is the issue

反義詞
  • insiders

    people who are accepted within the group and know its ways

  • members

    people who officially or socially belong to the group

文法句型

feel like strangers

treat [people] as strangers

用法筆記

This sense focuses on emotional distance or exclusion inside a group that should feel familiar. It is common with 'feel like', 'treat as', and similar patterns of belonging.

常見錯誤

❌The delivery workers were strangers in the office because they had never been there before.
✅The delivery workers were newcomers to the office.
💡this sense is about not belonging, not simply arriving somewhere new.