go astray

go astray

English

Verb

go astray (third-person singular simple present goes astray, present participle going astray, simple past went astray, past participle gone astray)

1. (intransitive) To develop bad habits; to behave improperly or illegally.

   Synonyms: break bad, go bad

   If you keep hanging out with that gang you'll go astray.

2. (intransitive) To behave in an adulterous manner.

   The woman thought her husband had gone astray.

3. (intransitive) To come to believe an untruth.
4. (intransitive, of an object) To become lost or mislaid.
5. (intransitive, chiefly in the negative) To be undesirable or unhelpful.

   A pinch of salt in this dish wouldn't go astray.

6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go,‎ astray.

Derived terms

• the best laid plans of mice and men go oft astray

Translations

develop bad habits; behave improperly or illegally

Arabic: ضَلَّ‎ (ḍalla) Azerbaijani: yoldan çıxmaq, düz yoldan çıxmaq, azmaq (az), sapmaq, yolunu azmaq Chinese: Mandarin: 誤入歧途／误入歧途 (zh) (wùrùqítú) Danish: komme langt ud, gå ned af bakke Finnish: hairahtua (fi), poiketa (fi), eksyä (fi) German: auf die schiefe Bahn geraten (de) Old Turkic: 𐰀𐰕‎ (āz-) Ottoman Turkish: آزمق‎ (azmaq) Russian: сбива́ться с пути́ impf (sbivátʹsja s putí), сби́ться с пути́ (ru) pf (sbítʹsja s putí) (idiomatic) Sanskrit: वञ्चति (sa) (vañcati) Turkish: azmak (tr)

to behave in an adulterous manner

German: fremdgehen (de)

come to believe an untruth

Arabic: ضَلَّ‎ (ḍalla) Azerbaijani: yanılmaq (az) Chinese: Mandarin: please add this translation if you can Finnish: mennä harhaan Russian: заблужда́ться (ru) impf (zabluždátʹsja)

of objects: to become lost or mislaid

Azerbaijani: itmək German: verloren gehen, verlustig gehen Russian: потеря́ться (ru) pf (poterjátʹsja), теря́ться (ru) impf (terjátʹsja) Swedish: bli borttappat

to be undesirable or unhelpful

German: fehl am Platze sein, verkehrt sein, schlecht sein

See also

• lead astray