stranger

1 of 3

noun

strang·​er ˈstrān-jər 

1

: one who is strange: such as

a(1)

: foreigner

(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

transitive verb

obsolete

: estrange, alienate

Synonyms

Noun

• foreigner
• nonnative
• outlander
• outsider

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

Celebrity aside, Keith Urban seemed short on cash on a trip to Wawa in 2018 and asked a stranger for some singles. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2024

And walking was also a way to enjoy the liveliness of the city and mingle with friends and strangers. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The point for Sohn-Rethel was not to indulge in northern stereotypes about the indolent, easygoing life in the south, but something far stranger. —Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Yet going forward, the husband keeps performing stranger and stranger actions while unconscious, remembering none afterward: Furiously scratching his skin, eating raw meat from the fridge, frightening the dog. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024

Verb

Once inside, Gibson scanned a sea of white people who filled the bleachers and packed together in lawn chairs, most of them strangers to him except for a few who worked at the public school district. —Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 19 Dec. 2024

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

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

Phrases Containing stranger

• no stranger to

Kids Definition

stranger

noun

strang·​er

ˈstrān-jər

1

: one who is strange

2

a

: foreigner

b

: guest sense 1, visitor

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