sting

sting

noun

Definition of STING

1

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value <the pawn shop operation turned out to be a sting by undercover police officers to catch the ring of burglars>

Synonyms bunco (or bunko), con, fiddle [chiefly British], flimflam, gyp, hustle, scam, shell game, sting, swindle

Related Words cross, fix; Ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme; racket, rip-off; thimblerig, three-card monte; device, dodge, gimmick, jig, ploy, scheme, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile; gouging, overcharging, soaking; counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony (also phoney), sham

2

a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body <the sting of cold air against my face>

Synonyms ache, pang, prick, shoot, smart, sting, stitch, throe, tingle, twinge

Related Words discomfort, distress, soreness, tenderness; affliction, agony, anguish, misery, sufferance, suffering, torment, torture; inflammation, sore, swelling; damage, detriment, harm, hurt, injury; backache, bellyache, charley horse, colic, complaint, earache, gripe, headache, stomachache, toothache

Near Antonyms comfort, ease, easiness