catch a stray

verb

To be unexpectedly and casually insulted in a seemingly unrelated discussion or argument.

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Meanings

verbcatch a stray (third-person singular simple present catches a stray, present participle catching a stray, simple past and past participle caught a stray)

present singular third person catches a stray · participle present catching a stray · participle past caught a stray · past caught a stray · alternative catch strays

  1. idiomaticslangTo be unexpectedly and casually insulted in a seemingly unrelated discussion or argument.

    The way 1D caught a stray here???

    2023 March 21, @iramadisonthree, Twitter
    5 more examples

    Jayda goes at it with Teanna Trump and Lil Baby catches a stray.

    2020 December 18, @MXCKdotCom, Twitter, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2022

    Nobody in the history of hip hop catch more strays than Tito Jackson.

    2021 June 2, @thoughtfulbae, Twitter, archived from the original on 07 Sep 2021

    nigga caught a stray in his own restaurant 😂😂😂😭😭😭

    2021 December 5, @WhatDJTweets, Twitter, archived from the original on 24 Jul 2023

    Dominican niggas catching so many strays omg. fuck em tho

    2022 January 7, @Jussdin_, Twitter, archived from the original on 24 Jul 2023

    Florida catching strays from abroad...

    2023 May 6, @RexChapman, Twitter, archived from the original on 13 May 2023

Origin

From catch (“to be hit by”) + a + stray (“a stray bullet”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

catch a stray. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20a%20stray

MLA

“catch a stray.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20a%20stray. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “catch a stray,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/catch%20a%20stray.

Source: catch a stray on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.