stranger
gb/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/ us/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
A2
English
~ 9400
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
person you do not know
A person you do not know.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a stranger
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"He is a unknown"* instead of *"He is a stranger"*. Use *"stranger"* as the common noun for a person you do not know. Also, *"foreigner"* means someone from another country, not just someone you do not know personally.
Synonyms
unknown (Often used as an adjective; as a noun it sounds more formal and less common in everyday speech than 'stranger'.)
|
outsider (Focuses more on not belonging to a group, not just being someone you do not know personally.)
Antonyms
friend (A friend is someone you know well and trust, the opposite of an unknown person.)
Collocations
a total stranger
|a complete stranger
|a perfect stranger
|talk to strangers
|approach a stranger
|warn [children] about strangers
Themes
daily life
|social
|safety
|relationships
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I never get into a car with a stranger.
- A stranger stopped me on the street to ask for directions.
- There were a lot of strangers at the party, so I felt shy.
- Don't give your personal information to strangers online.
- She smiled politely at the stranger sitting next to her on the train.
Learner examples
- My parents tell me not to talk to strangers.
- A stranger knocked on our door last night.
- There were many strangers in the waiting room.
- I sat next to a stranger on the bus.
- He helped a stranger carry a heavy box.
Noun
B1
entity
2
outsider to a place or group
A person who is new to a place or group and does not know it well.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a stranger to [a place/group]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I am not from here"* when they specifically mean they do not know the place. *"I am a stranger here"* or *"I am a stranger to this city"* focuses on being unfamiliar with the place, not only on origin.
Synonyms
outsider (Highlights that the person is not part of the group or community; does not always imply unfamiliarity with the physical place.)
|
newcomer (Suggests someone who has just arrived and may soon become part of the group, whereas 'stranger' can sound more distant.)
Antonyms
local (A 'local' belongs to or knows the place well, the opposite of being a stranger to it.)
Collocations
a stranger to these parts
|a stranger in town
|a stranger in a foreign country
|feel like a stranger
|treat [someone] like a stranger
Themes
social
|travel
|community
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I'm a stranger to this city and don't know my way around.
- He always felt like a stranger in his own family.
- As a stranger in town, she was careful about whom she trusted.
- They treated him as a stranger, even though he had lived there for years.
- Being a stranger in a foreign country can be both exciting and scary.
Learner examples
- I am a stranger to this town.
- She is a stranger in this school.
- He feels like a stranger in his new job.
- We helped the stranger in our village find a hotel.
- In that big city, I was a stranger.
Noun
B2
entity
3
person with no experience of something
A person who does not know or has not experienced something.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is (no) stranger to [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often think *"no stranger to"* means "not familiar with," but it actually means the opposite: very familiar with something, usually something difficult or unpleasant. *"I am a stranger to"* means you do NOT know something; *"I am no stranger to"* means you know it well.
Synonyms
novice (More formal and usually used for skills or jobs; 'stranger to' is broader and can refer to emotions or situations.)
|
inexperienced (Adjective focusing on lack of practice; 'a stranger to' is a more idiomatic way to say someone does not know something at all.)
Antonyms
familiar (If you are familiar with something, you know it well, which is the opposite of being a stranger to it.)
Collocations
be a stranger to hard work
|be a stranger to fear
|be no stranger to success
|be no stranger to violence
|be no stranger to pain
Themes
experience
|work
|feelings
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She is no stranger to hard work, so the long hours didn't scare her.
- He was a stranger to fear and took risks that others avoided.
- I'm a stranger to online banking and still prefer to go to the branch.
- They are no strangers to conflict, having worked in war zones for years.
- The company is no stranger to controversy after several public scandals.
Learner examples
- I am a stranger to this kind of music.
- She is no stranger to long flights.
- He is a stranger to city life.
- They are no strangers to bad weather.
- My grandmother is a stranger to computers.
adjective
B1
property
4
more strange; more unusual
More strange or more unusual than something else.
Usage pattern:
[something] is stranger than [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse *"strange"* (adjective) and *"stranger"* (comparative adjective or noun). Use *"stranger"* as the comparative of *"strange"* (e.g. *"This is stranger than that"*), and as a noun for a person you do not know (e.g. *"He is a stranger"*).
Synonyms
weirder (More informal and often suggests something odd in a funny or creepy way; 'stranger' is slightly more neutral and general.)
|
odder (Focuses on something being unusual or not normal; 'stranger' can also suggest something harder to explain or believe.)
Antonyms
more normal (Describes something closer to what is usual or expected, the opposite of being stranger.)
Collocations
stranger than fiction
|truth is stranger than fiction
|it gets stranger and stranger
|nothing could be stranger
|even stranger
|seems stranger every day
Themes
description
|comparison
|feelings
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The ending of the movie was stranger than I expected.
- Truth is often stranger than fiction.
- Things got stranger and stranger as the night went on.
- Her behavior today was even stranger than yesterday.
- The second book is stranger than the first, but also more interesting.
Learner examples
- This story is stranger than the last one.
- The dream became stranger and stranger.
- His new painting looks stranger than his old work.
- Today feels stranger than a normal day.
- The second idea is stranger, but I like it.
Grammar
Dictionary form
stranger
IPA
GB/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
US/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
Syllables & stress
stranger (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (stranger)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: stranger
- Plural: strangers
Word family
Forms
strangers
noun
Related words
strangeness
noun
Negative and opposite forms
familiar
adjective A2
acquaintance
noun B1
Advanced or less common
estrange
verb
estrangement
noun
Expressions
a complete stranger
1/ə kəmplˈit stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
fixed phrase
person totally unknown to you
A person you have never met and do not know in any way.
Examples
- I wouldn't lend that much money to a complete stranger.
- A complete stranger helped me when my car broke down.
- She married almost a complete stranger after a very short relationship.
a perfect stranger
1/ə pˈɚfɛkt stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
fixed phrase
person completely unknown to you
A person you do not know at all.
Examples
- I opened the door to a perfect stranger.
- She told all her problems to a perfect stranger on the train.
- I woke up in hospital surrounded by perfect strangers.
a stranger in a strange land
1/ə stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ ˈɪn ə stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒ lˈænd/
idiom
literary
person feeling foreign and out of place
A person who feels very different from everyone around them and not at home in a new or unusual place.
Examples
- On my first day at the new school, I felt like a stranger in a strange land.
- Moving from the countryside to the big city, she was a stranger in a strange land.
- As the only foreigner in the village, he often felt like a stranger in a strange land.
don't be a stranger
1/dˈoʊnt bˈi ə stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
fixed phrase
informal
friendly request to keep in touch
Said to someone you like when you want them to visit or contact you again and not disappear from your life.
Examples
- "It was great seeing you. Don't be a stranger!" she said as we said goodbye.
- Drop by the office sometime and don't be a stranger.
- He moved to another city, but his old friends told him not to be a stranger.
don't talk to strangers
1/dˈoʊnt tˈɔk tə stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚz/
fixed phrase
warning not to speak with strangers
Used especially with children to say they should not speak with people they do not know.
Examples
- Parents often tell their children, "Don't talk to strangers."
- At school they taught us, "Don't talk to strangers on the internet."
- "Don't talk to strangers" is one of the first safety rules kids learn.
no stranger to
1/nˈoʊ stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ tə/
fixed phrase
very familiar with something
To have a lot of experience with something, usually something difficult or unpleasant.
Examples
- She is no stranger to hard work and long hours.
- The town is no stranger to floods during the rainy season.
- As a nurse, he is no stranger to stressful situations.
stranger danger
1/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ dˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
fixed phrase
risk of harm from strangers
The idea that children should be careful because some people they do not know may try to hurt or trick them.
Examples
- Many schools run 'stranger danger' programs for young children.
- Parents worry about stranger danger when their kids walk home alone.
- The campaign focused on teaching kids about stranger danger online.
stranger things have happened
1/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ θˈɪŋz hˈæv hˈæpənd/
idiom
even unlikely events can happen
Said to show that something surprising or unlikely is still possible, because even more surprising things have happened before.
Examples
- "Do you think they'll get back together?" "Maybe. Stranger things have happened."
- He might win the competition, stranger things have happened.
- It seems impossible, but stranger things have happened in politics.
talk to strangers
1/tˈɔk tə stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚz/
fixed phrase
speak with people you don't know
To speak with people you do not know, often used when giving advice about safety or social behavior.
Examples
- Children are often told not to talk to strangers.
- In a new city, it can be scary to talk to strangers.
- He likes to talk to strangers in cafés and hear their stories.
stranger than fiction
1/stɹˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ ðən fˈɪkʃən/
idiom
more unbelievable than stories
Used to say that something real is very surprising or unusual, even more than a story someone could invent.
Examples
- The coincidence was stranger than fiction.
- The whole story of how they met is stranger than fiction.
- Some of the things that happen in politics are stranger than fiction.
- Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction.
- His life has been stranger than fiction since he won the lottery.