Definition of sting
stung
play \ˈstəŋ\;stinging
play \ˈstiŋ-iŋ\transitive verb
1 : to prick painfully: such asa : to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating processb : 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
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of sting in a Sentence
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.
Recent Examples of sting from the Web
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The Chinese are naive, say some, and will end up getting stung by Pakistan’s generals just as the Americans did.
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PHOTOS: From coast to coast, American retailers, stung by the rise of online shopping, are abandoning brick-and-mortar stores, annoucning closing after closing.
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Stung by his failure to win the popular vote, even as the electoral college gave him the presidency, Trump has insisted that there were 3 to 5 million votes cast by ineligible voters during the presidential election.
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Shuffling back to Kegler's Kove after the touring and label promises fell though would've just stung too much.
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Reyna and Tei want those differences, but the play might sting more effectively if Sherman employed some sly humor and Levine pulled back to become merely calculating now and then.
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Hedge funds, stung by years of underperformance and revolts from investors, are increasingly under pressure to dump their traditional 2 percent management and 20 percent performance-fee model, curtailing their ability to hire and retain talent.
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Stung by the cuts, Miami-Dade last year liquidated more than $4.5 million in reserves of the special restaurant tax that provides local dollars for homeless programs.
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Oregon State was still stinging after the game from a call in the third inning when, with runners on first and second, Steven Kwan sliced a ball down the left-field line that bounced off the wall and was ruled foul.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sting.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of sting
Middle English, from Old English stingan; akin to Old Norse stinga to sting and probably to Greek stachys spike of grain, stochos target, aim
sting
Definition of sting
1a : the act of stinging; specifically : the thrust of a stinger into the fleshb : a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging
2 : stinger 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
Examples of sting in a Sentence
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 of sting from the Web
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During undercover sting operations over the past three weeks, officers seized more than 2,000 pounds of illegal fireworks that were being sold online, according to the Police Department.
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His likewise satisfying but more manageable Caesar turns up the intensity on an inherently flavor-forward salad by boosting the anchovy and Reggiano with ruddy croutons loaded with a surprising chile sting.
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In 1983, during his second term as governor, Bill Clinton received word from the state police that his brother had been filmed selling cocaine to an informant in a sting operation.
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Others still bring it up, however, saying its sting was strong.
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About 15 to 20 years ago, Freeman-Wilson said the city took out ads to embarrass those arrested in prostitution stings.
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Nevertheless, the Beyhive is in full sting mode — as proven by the responses.
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Francis was arrested by federal agents in 2013 in a sting operation in San Diego and has since pleaded guilty to bribing scores of Navy officials in a decades-long scam to overcharge the Navy at least $35 million for resupplying its ships in Asia.
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Losing millions of dollars for some reason doesn’t sting.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sting.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of sting
before 12th century
STING Defined for English Language Learners
sting
playDefinition of sting for English Language Learners
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of an insect, plant, or animal : to hurt (someone) by piercing the skin with a sharp, pointed part that usually contains poison
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: to cause a quick, sharp pain
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: to feel a quick sharp pain
sting
Definition of sting for English Language Learners
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: a quick, sharp pain
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: an injury caused when an insect or animal stings you
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: a complicated and clever plan that is meant to deceive someone especially in order to catch criminals
STING Defined for Kids
Definition of sting for Students
stung
\ˈstəŋ\;stinging
1 : to prick painfully usually with a sharp or poisonous stinger A bee stung my hand.
2 : to suffer or affect with sharp quick burning pain Hail stung their faces.
3 : to hurt emotionally She was stung by the harsh criticism.
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of sting
stung
\ˈstəŋ\play ;stinging
\ˈstiŋ-iŋ\playtransitive verb
: to prick painfully: asa: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating processb: to affect with sharp quick painintransitive verb
: to feel or cause a keen burning pain or smart the injection stung
Law Dictionary
sting
Legal Definition of sting
: an elaborate confidence game; specifically : such a game worked by undercover police in order to catch criminals
Learn More about sting
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See words that rhyme with sting Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sting Spanish Central: Translation of sting Nglish: Translation of sting for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sting for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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