- any person whom one does not know
- a person who is new to a particular locality, from another region, town, etc
- a guest or visitor
- (followed by to) a person who is unfamiliar (with) or new (to) something: he is no stranger to computers
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
stran•ger /ˈstreɪndʒɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance:warned their children not to talk to strangers.
- a newcomer in a place:a stranger in town.
- one not accustomed to something:She is no stranger to poverty.
stran•ger
(strān′jər),USA pronunciation n.
stran′ger•like′, adj.
- a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance:He is a perfect stranger to me.
- a newcomer in a place or locality:a stranger in town.
- an outsider:They want no strangers in on the club meetings.
- a person who is unacquainted with or unaccustomed to something (usually fol. by to):He is no stranger to poverty.
- a person who is not a member of the family, group, community, or the like, as a visitor or guest:Our town shows hospitality to strangers.
- Lawone not privy or party to an act, proceeding, etc.
- Middle French estrangier, equivalent. to estrange strange + -ier -ier2
- Middle English 1325–75
- 1. 5. Stranger, alien, foreigner all refer to someone regarded as outside of or distinct from a particular group. Stranger may apply to one who does not belong to some group—social, professional, national, etc.—or may apply to a person with whom one is not acquainted. Alien emphasizes a difference in political allegiance and citizenship from that of the country in which one is living. Foreigner emphasizes a difference in language, customs, and background.
- 1. acquaintance.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stranger /ˈstreɪndʒə/ n
strange /streɪndʒ/USA pronunciation
adj., strang•er, strang•est, adv.
adj.
adv.
strange•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026adj.
- causing a feeling of curiosity or wonder;
odd:puzzled by her strange behavior.[It + be + ~ + (that) clause]It was strange that there was no one to meet us.[it + be + ~ + to + verb]It was strange to be the boss over someone who had once been my boss. - alienated:We all felt strange in that city.
- being outside of one's experience;
unfamiliar;
foreign:It was hard for them to move to a strange place. - not accustomed;
not used to:[be + ~ + to]I'm strange to his ways.
adv.
- in a strange manner:They sure acted strange when we said hello.
strange•ness, n. [uncountable]
Stranger, The,
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Literature(French, L'Étranger), a novel (1942) by Albert Camus.
strange
(strānj),USA pronunciation adj., strang•er, strang•est, adv.
adj.
adv.
strange′ly, adv.
adj.
- unusual, extraordinary, or curious;
odd;
queer:a strange remark to make. - estranged, alienated, etc., as a result of being out of one's natural environment:In Bombay I felt strange.
- situated, belonging, or coming from outside of one's own locality;
foreign:to move to a strange place; strange religions. - outside of one's previous experience;
hitherto unknown;
unfamiliar:strange faces; strange customs. - unaccustomed to or inexperienced in;
unacquainted (usually fol. by to):I'm strange to this part of the job. - distant or reserved;
shy.
adv.
- in a strange manner.
- Latin extrāneus; see extraneous
- Old French estrange
- Middle English 1250–1300
- 1. bizarre, singular, abnormal, anomalous. Strange, peculiar, odd, queer refer to that which is out of the ordinary. Strange implies that the thing or its cause is unknown or unexplained; it is unfamiliar and unusual:a strange expression.That which is peculiar mystifies, or exhibits qualities not shared by others:peculiar behavior.That which is odd is irregular or unconventional, and sometimes approaches the bizarre:an odd custom.Queer sometimes adds to odd the suggestion of something abnormal and eccentric:queer in the head. 6. aloof.
- 4. –6. familiar.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
strange /streɪndʒ/ adj
- odd, unusual, or extraordinary in appearance, effect, manner, etc; peculiar
- not known, seen, or experienced before; unfamiliar
- not easily explained
- (usually followed by to) inexperienced (in) or unaccustomed (to): strange to a task
- not of one's own kind, locality, etc; alien; foreign
- shy; distant; reserved
- strange to say ⇒ it is unusual or surprising that
- denoting a particular flavour of quark
- denoting or relating to a hypothetical form of matter composed of such quarks: strange matter, a strange star
- not standard in a strange manner
'stranger' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
abatement
- blow in
- estrange
- formal
- guest
- host
- intrusion
- perfect
- rando
- random
- unco
- alien
- dear
- excuse
- fleece
- foreigner
- galloglass
- grok
- halve
- hospitium
- inconnu
- jack
- myall
- neighbor
- newcomer
- outlander
- pluck
- poor
- river
- unbosom
- welcome
- xeno-
- stranger rape
- set
- strange
- Stranger, The