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
The film, which follows a mysterious stranger who provides hope for survival to the denizens on a distant moon amid threats by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, is the first in a two-part saga. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Furthermore, iPhone users might have overlooked one basic setting on their device that really could broadcast their identity to complete strangers. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Deputies said the caller reported she was parked in a driveway when a stranger approached with a chainsaw in one hand and a hammer in the other. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2024 Because the stranger, Ezra Walker, is a Perennial, a man who has remained 28-years-old since the night he was cursed in the 1920s. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 Share [Findings] Vampire bats who are strangers will groom one another before sharing blood via regurgitation. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 Dune: Part Two sees that potential realized, transforming Paul from a stranger in a strange land into its messianic ruler. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 This Shōgun has many hearts and many points of view, rather than fixating on the simplistic stranger in a strange land story from the Eighties. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2024 For years, booking a traditional moving company has meant inviting countless strangers into your home to nose through your belongings, write out itemized lists, and take inventory for each company — and that’s all just to get a quote. Chris Gallagher, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 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 18 Mar. 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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