sting

verb \ ˈstiŋ \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of sting

stung play \ˈstəŋ\; stinging play \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

play \ˈstiŋ-iŋ-lē\ adverb

See sting defined for English-language learners

See sting defined for kids

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

JaCoby Jones stung a single through the left side, and both runners scored on a triple down the left-field line by José Iglesias.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Alex Cobb chased in fourth inning again as Orioles lose sixth straight, 13-8, for sweep in Detroit," 19 Apr. 2018
But officials acknowledged there would be differences over trade, with Trump pushing for a trade deal between the two countries and Abe stung by Trump's decision not to exempt Japan, like other U.S. allies, from sweeping tariffs on steel exports.

— author: mark landler, Anchorage Daily News, "CIA director met secretly with North Korea’s leader," 18 Apr. 2018
Goncalo Guedes stung the fingertips of Ter Stegen in the opening minutes, but a moment of quality from Philippe Coutinho put Barca 1-0 up against the run of play.

— SI.com, "WATCH: Barcelona Beats Valencia, Sets Unbeatean Record in La Liga," 14 Apr. 2018
Farmer stung a fastball off the right-field bricks to give the Dodgers the lead.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Kenley Jansen gets back into rhythm, and the Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1 in 10 innings," 9 Apr. 2018
Byron Buxton stung a liner to Carlos Correa, ending the inning.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Justin Verlander strong night secures Astros victory against Twins," 9 Apr. 2018
Four of the biggest U.S. banks were already stung, to the tune of more than $1 billion in total, mostly after writing down margin loans made to Wiese and backed by Steinhoff’s shares.

— janice kew, Bloomberg.com, "Steinhoff Finds $1.1 Billion Under the Mattress. Is it Enough?," 24 Jan. 2018
Everyone from an experienced surfer to a first timer wading out to the beach [have been stung].

— National Geographic, "What's Behind a Surge in Stingray Attacks?," 5 Jan. 2018
Such figures, and the widespread perception that Saudi Arabia is responsible for the bulk of Yemen’s civilian agony with little military result, has stung in Riyadh.

— scott peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Yemen crisis: Does Saudi largess square with military campaign?," 2 Apr. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

sting Synonyms

sting

noun

Definition of sting

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 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

See sting defined for English-language learners

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

Her sting is poisoning the chances for Democrats to mount their own comeback as a party.

— john fund, National Review, "Even Some Democrats Learn That Hillary’s Political Sting Is Poisonous," 29 Oct. 2017
The sting, which focused on recovering underage victims of prostitution, ran for four days , from Oct. 12 to 15.

— monique o. madan, miamiherald, "FBI sex trafficking sting rescues 84 children — including a 3-month-old girl," 19 Oct. 2017
Vance cited a lack of evidence—even as Gutierrez, in a police sting operation, had caught Weinstein on tape apologizing for groping her the day before.

— michelle ruiz, Vogue, "Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. Has a Fishy Habit of Failing to Prosecute Powerful People," 13 Oct. 2017
Beyonce’s Lemonade is the signal example, taking the sting of infidelity to spin a tale of hurt and overcoming.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Lady Gaga's Illness Is Not a Metaphor," 21 Sep. 2017
The government may try to take the sting out of the discontent by proposing to reform the constitution.

— The Economist, "Demonstrators in Togo face tear gas and water cannon," 13 Sep. 2017
In severe cases, the stings can be life-threatening.

— ilima loomis, Smithsonian, "Forget What You’ve Heard About the Pee Cure, Here’s How to Really Fix a Jellyfish Sting," 6 June 2017
More than a half dozen metro area law enforcement agencies helped federal agents arrest 10 underage human traffickers and recover three minors in the Kansas City area as part of a nationwide sting.

— toriano porter, kansascity, "FBI arrest 10, recover 3 minors in human trafficking sting | The Kansas City Star," 18 Oct. 2017
Like others arrested during the Bellevue sting, Masaki didn’t appear contrite, said Harnden, the Bellevue police captain.

— sara jean green, The Seattle Times, "110 arrested in Bellevue sex sting set up ‘to fill void’ after Asian brothels shut down," 1 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of sting

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sting Synonyms

Synonyms

ache, pain, pang, prick, shoot, smart, stitch, throe, tingle, twinge;

Near Antonyms

comfort, ease, easiness;

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;

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

STING Defined for English Language Learners

sting

verb

Definition of sting for English Language Learners

of an insect, plant, or animal : to hurt (someone) by piercing the skin with a sharp, pointed part that usually contains poison
: to cause a quick, sharp pain
: to feel a quick sharp pain

sting

noun

Definition of sting for English Language Learners

: a quick, sharp pain
: an injury caused when an insect or animal stings you
: a complicated and clever plan that is meant to deceive someone especially in order to catch criminals

STING Defined for Kids

sting

verb \ ˈstiŋ \

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.

sting

noun

Definition of sting for Students

1 : an act of pricking painfully usually with a sharp or poisonous stinger

a bee's sting

2 : a wound or burning pain caused by the pricking of the skin with a stinger

the sting of a bitter wind

3 : emotional pain

the sting of criticism

4 : stinger

Medical Dictionary

sting

verb \ ˈstiŋ \

medical Definition of sting

stung play \ˈstəŋ\; stinging play \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

noun

medical Definition of sting

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 1

Law Dictionary

sting

noun

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

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

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sting

Definition of sting

stingingly

Examples of sting in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sting from the Web

Origin and Etymology of sting

sting Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

sting

Definition of sting

Examples of sting in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sting from the Web

First Known Use of sting

sting Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Insect Terms

Phrases Related to STING

Related Phrases

STING Defined for English Language Learners

sting

Definition of sting for English Language Learners

sting

Definition of sting for English Language Learners

STING Defined for Kids

sting

Definition of sting for Students

sting

Definition of sting for Students

Medical Dictionary

sting

medical Definition of sting

sting

medical Definition of sting

Law Dictionary

sting

legal Definition of sting

Learn More about sting

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