stranger

1 of 3

noun

strang·​er ˈstrān-jər How to pronounce stranger (audio)
1
: one who is strange: such as
a(1)
(2)
: a resident alien
b
: one in the house of another as a guest, visitor, or intruder
c
: a person or thing that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted
d
: one who does not belong to or is kept from the activities of a group
e
: one not privy or party to an act, contract, or title : one that interferes without right
2
: one ignorant of or unacquainted with someone or something

stranger

2 of 3

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a stranger : foreign

stranger

3 of 3

verb

strangered; strangering; strangers

Examples of stranger in a Sentence

Noun Children are taught not to talk to strangers. He is a complete stranger to me. “Excuse me. Do you know where the library is?” “I'm sorry. I'm a stranger here myself.” I'm a stranger to the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
While trying to find a way out, Mina ends up falling in with a cohort of strangers, who’ve been trapped for years by a group of mysterious creatures that stalk, terrorize, and observe them each night. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2024 More than pity or curiosity, the expression on the faces of strangers who see me — a visibly disabled woman — is disgust. Chloé Cooper Jones Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024 A couple who had lost their rings during their wedding ceremony were able to borrow replacements — all thanks to the kindness of strangers. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024 That now some stranger, for some strange reason, perhaps wanted to give him back. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024 Podolak, a complete stranger to the trio, didn’t hesitate to move into harm’s way to block the puck. George Solis, NBC News, 14 Apr. 2024 Not a stranger to making sports history, Staley became the first Black coach to have an undefeated season in the NCAA Division 1 and the only Black coach to win three national titles. Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024 But the words are significant because the viewer learns these strangers who met at a mutual friend's party and went on a spontaneous dinner date are suddenly very, very important to one another. Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024 Later that night, when Zaire was walking home, a stranger approached him. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Among the stranger items sold at the store through the years, according to Myers: Benches from dugouts. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 28 Jan. 2024 This year, the most exciting books avoid these ho-hum recent trends in favor of stranger pleasures, daring memoir, and the ruthless re-zhuzhing of classic American lit. Vulture, 2 Jan. 2024 The more experts learned, the stranger pterosaurs became. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2023 In that one split second, some stranger looks at you, locks onto you and really sees you. James Brown, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2023 Participants overwhelmingly preferred their own bears over the standard and stranger bears. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2023 That’s a tall task, but this is March, and stranger things have happened. Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2023 There are some stranger allegations too — including that Lee Soo-Man forced the K-Pop group Aespa to incorporate pro-environmental messages into their music, leading to long delays in a new project from the group. Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2023 Recently, things have also gotten considerably stranger. Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2023
Verb
She will be passed from stranger to stranger for the next two years—foster homes, shelters, juvenile detention. Alex Mar, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stranger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English straunger, straungier "foreigner, alien, unfamiliar person, outsider," borrowed from Anglo-French estranger, estraunger "outsider, foreigner, unfamiliar person" (as adjective) "not related by blood, foreign" (also continental Middle French estrangier), from estrange "foreign, strange entry 1" + -er, -ier -er entry 2

Adjective

from attributive use of stranger entry 1

Verb

derivative of stranger entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1606, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stranger was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near stranger

Cite this Entry

“Stranger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stranger. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

stranger

noun
strang·​er
ˈstrān-jər
1
: one who is strange
2
a
c
: a person with whom or a thing with which one is unacquainted

Legal Definition

stranger

noun
strang·​er
: someone who is not a party or in privity with a party (as to a contract or legal action)
may be enforced against a stranger to the contract

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