sting

verb \ ˈstiŋ \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: sting in a Sentence

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

Trump stung May further by continuing to praise Boris Johnson -- the former foreign secretary who resigned this week over May’s approach to Brexit.

— adam shaw, Fox News, "Thousands march against Trump in rowdy London protests," 13 July 2018
Chapman stung a third to Yuli Gurriel at third base.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Athletics hammer Lance McCullers in Astros' loss," 12 July 2018
However, there was a noticeable oversight, one that likely stings a little bit for Meghan.

— michelle manetti, Good Housekeeping, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Royal Wedding Program Has a Big Mistake," 19 May 2018
Kennedy delivered the party’s stinging rebuttal to Trump from Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River, where students and staff spent the week busily scouring the automotive shop and baking treats in anticipation of his visit.

— liz goodwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Kennedy says Americans feel ‘fault lines of a fractured country’," 31 Jan. 2018
Too many times now, Benitez has been stung by broken promises from Ashley.

— SI.com, "Mike Ashley Must Be Proactive if He Wants Rafa Benitez to Sign a New Contract at Newcastle," 11 July 2018
Adora’s honeyed, poisonous passive aggression stings Camille more acutely than anything else; her mother’s words brand her psyche.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Twisted, Enthralling Rot of Sharp Objects," 7 July 2018
Hoffmann’s opponent in a boys’ 12 singles round of 32 match, Drew Abramowitz of Santa Clarita, was stung by a bee late in the first set at Marina High.

— matt szabo, latimes.com, "Niels Hoffmann moves into round of 16 at Junior Sectionals," 22 June 2018
The air was stung by a tangible sense of hope, movement and future.

— adam eli werner, Teen Vogue, "I Went to a Die-In and It Gave Me Hope," 12 June 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

Mizell was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for an estimated 1,000 bee stings, the news station said.

— crystal hill, star-telegram, "‘A black cloud’: 81-year-old man says he was attacked by swarm of bees — and survived," 4 July 2018
Comb Jellies Comb jellies aren’t jellyfish, but a separate group called ctenophores which don’t have numerous tentacles or pack a sting.

— National Geographic, "Living Fireworks, These Animals Produce Light Shows with Their Bodies," 30 June 2018
The men were arrested as part of a wide-ranging federal sting that also charged 601 people across 58 federal districts in health-care fraud schemes.

— aubrey whelan, Philly.com, "Three Philly-area defendants charged in federal opioid crackdown," 28 June 2018
Watch this apprehension that included a helicopter, a foot chase through a corn field and several bee stings.

— marcos aleman and joshua goodman, USA TODAY, "Families fleeing violence keep coming to US illegally despite Trump zero tolerance policy," 21 June 2018
Fifty people die from bee stings every year in the United States.

— john schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, "Afraid of bears? There are far more dangerous things in the Alaska outdoors," 4 June 2018
Kim Kardashian has subjected herself to the pain of a vampire facial and Gwyneth Paltrow visits her dermatologist regularly for bee-sting facials.

— jillian ruffo, PEOPLE.com, "Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock Once Got 'Penis Facials' Together: Here's Exactly What That Means," 15 Mar. 2018
The lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said Thursday Daniels was set up in a sting operation.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Stormy Daniels' charges dropped; arrest part of "sting operation," lawyer says," 12 July 2018
Fischer changed the city's policies last year to prohibit Louisville police from working with ICE on their sting operations.

— zahria rogers, The Courier-Journal, "Immigration rally splits as group calls out Fischer over 'sanctuary city' policy," 30 June 2018

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

Seen and Heard

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