Stray Very Common

an animal that has strayed (especially a domestic animal)

"The stray dog curled up under the porch, shivering in the cold rain."

Any domestic animal that has no enclosure, or its proper place and company, and wanders at large, or is lost; an estray.

"The farmer spent hours searching the muddy fields for his missing cow, who had wandered off as a stray after breaking free from her pen."

move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

"The gypsies roamed the woods"

"roving vagabonds"

"the wandering Jew"

"The cattle roam across the prairie"

"the laborers drift from one town to the next"

"They rolled from town to town"

wander from a direct course or at random

"The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her"

"don't drift from the set course"

lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking

"She always digresses when telling a story"

"her mind wanders"

"Don't digress when you give a lecture"

To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way.

"The hiker had to turn back after his path began to stray into the dense thicket."

not close together in time

"isolated instances of rebellion"

"a few stray crumbs"

(of an animal) having no home or having wandered away from home

"a stray calf"

"a stray dog"

Having gone astray; strayed; wandering

"The stray cat wandered into my garden looking for food after escaping its home."