stray
stray — 形容詞
- straypositive
- strayercomparative
- strayestsuperlative
1. separated from a group of similar things and found somewhere unexpected, away fr
零散的；散落的
脫離同類群體而散落他處的
separated from a group of similar things and found somewhere unexpected, away from where it belongs
Ingrid swept the stray leaves off the front steps after the storm.
暴風雨過後，Ingrid 把前門階梯上的落葉掃乾淨了。
collocation: stray leaves
A stray bullet shattered the window of the corner shop on Humbert Street.
一顆流彈擊碎了 Humbert 街轉角商店的櫥窗。
collocation: stray bullet
Theo found a stray blue sock behind the washing machine with no matching partner.
Theo 在洗衣機後面找到一隻落單的藍襪子，跟他所有的襪子都配不上。
The gardener pulled stray weeds from between the paving stones before they spread.
園丁從鋪路石縫間拔掉了幾株雜草，免得它們蔓延開來。
Kwame tucked a stray curl behind his ear before the photograph was taken.
Kwame 在拍照前把一縷散落下來的捲髮塞到耳後。
- scattered
suggests things spread over an area, often by someone or something; stray emphasises accidental separation
- isolated
describes a single thing alone; stray often describes one or a few among many that are out of place
- odd
more informal; often used for the last remaining item of a set, like an odd sock
用法筆記
Always comes before the noun it describes. You cannot say 'the dog is stray' — it must be 'a stray dog.'
常見錯誤
2. happening now and then in an isolated way, without forming any regular pattern
偶發的；零星的
不規律地零星出現的
happening now and then in an isolated way, without forming any regular pattern
A few stray clouds crossed the sky but the picnic carried on as planned.
幾朵零星的雲飄過天空，但野餐還是照常進行。
collocation: stray clouds
Fatima ignored the stray comment about her accent and carried on with the presentation.
Fatima 不理會那個關於她口音的偶發評論，繼續做簡報。
collocation: stray comment
The region can expect stray showers throughout the afternoon, the weather report said.
天氣報告說，該地區下午可能會有零星陣雨。
Dmitri heard a stray noise from the attic and blamed the old water pipes.
Dmitri 聽到閣樓傳來一聲零星的怪響，認為是舊水管造成的。
Only stray incidents of trouble broke out at the festival, not the feared riot.
節慶活動中只有零星的事故發生，並非原先擔心的暴動。
- occasional
the most common synonym; neutral and widely used for anything that happens now and then
- sporadic
more formal; often used for events like gunfire, outages, or disease outbreaks
- isolated
emphasises that each occurrence stands alone, not linked to others
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (OUT OF PLACE): this sense is about irregular timing or frequency, not physical position. A stray bullet (sense 1) is physically off course; a stray comment (sense 2) happens at an unexpected moment.
常見錯誤
stray — 名詞
- straysingular
- straysplural
1. a domestic animal, especially a cat or dog, that is lost or has been abandoned a
流浪動物
走失或被遺棄的家養動物
a domestic animal, especially a cat or dog, that is lost or has been abandoned and lives on the streets
Mei-Lin took the thin stray to the vet and ended up adopting it herself.
Mei-Lin 把那隻瘦弱的流浪貓帶去獸醫診所，最後自己收養了牠。
collocation: take in a stray
The children fed the stray that slept under the bridge every morning before school.
孩子們每天早上上學前都會餵那隻睡在橋下的流浪狗。
Javier put up posters hoping the stray he had found had an owner.
Javier 在社區張貼海報，希望他撿到的那隻流浪動物是有主人的。
A stray followed Sunita home from the market, ribs showing through patchy fur.
一隻流浪狗跟著 Sunita 從市場走回家，透過稀疏的毛可以看見肋骨。
The shelter ran out of room after taking in too many strays that winter.
那個冬天收容所收留太多流浪動物，最後空間不夠用了。
用法筆記
Countable noun. Typically used for cats and dogs, occasionally for other domestic animals like horses. Not used for wild animals.
常見錯誤
stray — 動詞
- straypresent simple I / you / we / they
- strayshe / she / it
- strayedpast simple
- straying-ing form
1. to move away from the route or area you are meant to stay in, often without mean
偏離；走離
無意中離開應在的路線或範圍
to move away from the route or area you are meant to stay in, often without meaning to
Oluwaseun strayed from the marked trail and took an hour to find the group again.
Oluwaseun 偏離了有標記的步道，花了一個小時才找回隊伍。
stray from + noun phrase
The sheep strayed onto the main road and made a lorry brake sharply.
羊群走上了大馬路，迫使一輛卡車猛踩煞車。
Eszter warned the children not to stray beyond the garden gate while cooking.
Eszter 警告孩子們做飯期間不要走出花園的柵門。
A hiker strayed close to the cliff edge and the guide shouted a sharp warning.
一名登山者走得太靠近懸崖邊緣，嚮導大聲喊了警告。
The ball strayed over the fence and nobody wanted to knock on the neighbour's door.
球飛過了圍欄，沒有人想去敲鄰居的門要回來。
- wander
suggests leisurely, often intentional movement away; stray implies accidental or brief deviation
- deviate
more formal; often used for rules, standards, or planned routes — a plane deviates from its flight path
- drift
emphasises slow, gradual movement away, often without the person noticing it happening
- keep to
stay faithfully on a path or route
文法句型
stray from + noun phrase
stray into + noun phrase
stray onto + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'from' to name the path or route left behind. Subject can be a person, animal, or object. Distinguish from sense 3 (ROAM AIMLESSLY): this sense is about leaving a known course, not about having no destination at all.
常見錯誤
2. to let your thoughts or your words move away from the main subject you should be
離題；分心
思緒或談話偏離應專注的主題
to let your thoughts or your words move away from the main subject you should be concentrating on
Joaquín's mind strayed to his brother during the lecturer's explanation of the formula.
講師在解釋公式時，Joaquín 的心思飄到了他弟弟身上。
stray to + thought/memory
The chairperson asked everyone to keep comments short and not stray from the agenda.
主席要求大家發言簡短，不要偏離議程。
stray from the agenda
During the sermon, Hana's thoughts strayed to what she would cook for dinner.
佈道進行中，Hana 的思緒飄到了晚餐要煮什麼上頭。
The interview strayed into personal matters and the politician refused to answer further.
訪談偏離到私人問題上，政治人物拒絕再回答。
The security guard tried not to let his attention stray during the long night shift.
那名警衛在漫長的夜班中試著不讓自己分心。
- digress
more formal; used for speech or writing that goes off the main point
- get sidetracked
more informal; implies being pulled away by a distraction rather than drifting naturally
- deviate
formal; often used for departing from a plan, script, or agreed line of discussion
- focus
direct attention firmly onto one subject
- concentrate
keep thoughts trained on a single matter
- stick to
remain faithfully on the same topic
文法句型
stray from + topic
stray to + thought
stray into + subject area
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person's mind, thoughts, attention, or words. Often paired with 'from' to name the topic that should have been the focus. Only sense where the subject is typically a mental process rather than physical movement.
常見錯誤
3. to walk or travel around slowly with no particular goal or fixed direction in mi
漫遊；遊蕩
無固定方向或目的地四處走動
to walk or travel around slowly with no particular goal or fixed direction in mind
Biruk strayed through the old town for hours, peering into shop windows without any plan.
Biruk 在老城區漫遊了幾個小時，只看櫥窗沒有任何打算。
stray through + place
The cattle strayed across the open grassland, nibbling at patches of dry grass.
牛群在開闊草地上遊蕩，啃食著一叢叢乾草。
Anaya let her gaze stray around the crowded room without looking for anyone.
Anaya 讓目光在擁擠的房間裡遊移，並沒有特地尋找誰。
The old dog strayed along the beach each morning while its owner read on a bench.
那隻老狗每天早晨沿著海灘閒晃，主人則坐在長椅上讀報。
After the market closed, the children strayed among the empty stalls playing tag.
市場收攤後，孩子們在空攤位之間遊蕩玩捉迷藏。
- hurry
move quickly with purpose
- make a beeline
go directly towards a goal without detours
文法句型
stray + through/around/across + place
用法筆記
Subject can be a person, animal, or metaphorically eyes or gaze. Describes relaxed, undirected movement, not purposeful travel. Distinguish from sense 1 (LEAVE THE PATH): sense 1 involves leaving a known course by accident, while sense 3 has no course at all.