sting

1 of 2

verb

ˈstiŋ 

stung ˈstəŋ  ; stinging ˈstiŋ-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to prick painfully: such as

a

: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating process

b

: to affect with sharp quick pain or smart

hail stung their faces

2

: to cause to suffer acutely

stung with remorse

3

: overcharge, cheat

intransitive verb

1

: to wound one with or as if with a sting

2

: to feel a keen burning pain or smart

also : to cause such pain

stingingly

ˈstiŋ-iŋ-lē 

adverb

sting

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: the act of stinging

specifically : the thrust of a stinger into the flesh

b

: a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging

2

: stinger sense 2

3

: a sharp or stinging element, force, or quality

4

: an elaborate confidence game

specifically : such a game worked by undercover police in order to trap criminals

Synonyms

Verb

• gouge
• overcharge
• soak
• surcharge

Noun

• bunco
• bunko
• con
• fiddle [chiefly British]
• flimflam
• fraud
• hustle
• scam
• shell game
• swindle

Examples of sting in a Sentence

Verb

I got stung by a bee.

The jellyfish stung the swimmer.

The bees will sting if you bother them.

The iodine will sting for a few minutes.

The cold rain stung my eyes.

The smoke made our eyes sting.

She was stung by their harsh criticism.

Noun

When you get the shot, you'll feel a little sting.

His arm was covered with bee stings.

They were caught in a drug sting.

a sting operation by police

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Unfortunately, Ronnie’s rough morning gets worse when she’s stung by a jellyfish. —Emma Soren, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024

Matthew Boyd will be joining the team that defeated the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series, a fact that still stings with fans of Cleveland baseball. —Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Noun

The Multichannel Phishing Email Attack As the name suggests, a multichannel attack relies upon leveraging different platforms to complete the phishing sting. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Speaking about her latest endeavor, Mosley walks PEOPLE through her approach to swindles and stings as viewers will soon see on TV. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English stingan; akin to Old Norse stinga to sting and probably to Greek stachys spike of grain, stochos target, aim

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sting

• sting for

Kids Definition

sting

1 of 2 verb

ˈstiŋ 

stung ˈstəŋ  ; stinging ˈstiŋ-iŋ 

1

a

: to prick painfully especially with a sharp or poisonous stinger

stung by a bee

b

: to affect with or feel quick piercing pain or smart

hail stung their faces

2

: to cause to suffer mentally

stung with regret

3

: overcharge sense 1, cheat

got stung on the deal

4

: to use a stinger

bees sting

sting

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: the act of stinging

b

: a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging

2

: stinger sense 2

stingless

ˈstiŋ-ləs

adjective

Medical Definition

sting

1 of 2 verb

ˈstiŋ 

stung ˈstəŋ  ; stinging ˈstiŋ-iŋ 

transitive verb

: to prick painfully: as

a

: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating process

b

: to affect with sharp quick pain

intransitive verb

: to feel or cause a keen burning pain or smart

the injection stung

sting

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: the act of stinging

specifically : the thrust of a stinger into the flesh

b

: a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging

2

: stinger sense 1

Legal Definition

sting

noun

: an elaborate confidence game

specifically : such a game worked by undercover police in order to catch criminals