stinger

noun

sting·er | \ˈstiŋ-ər

Definition of stinger

1 : one that stings specifically : a sharp blow or remark

2 : a sharp organ (as of a bee, scorpion, or stingray) that is usually connected with a poison gland or otherwise adapted to wound by piercing and injecting a poison

3 : a cocktail usually consisting of brandy and white crème de menthe

4 medical : a usually sports-related injury of the brachial plexus marked by a painful burning sensation that radiates from the neck down the arm and is often accompanied by weakness or numbness of the affected area Arrington had missed the second quarter with a concussion and a stinger that left him, momentarily, without feeling in his left arm.— Peter King

— called also burner

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Examples of stinger in a Sentence

the stinger of a bee in the eighth round he delivered a stinger that knocked his opponent flat

Recent Examples on the Web

Hole 3 - Par 4 Tiger pulls iron from the bag and hits his low-flying stinger shot that finds the right side of the fairway. — Adam Woodard, USA TODAY, "Tiger Tracker: Follow Tiger Woods' Friday round at the Memorial Tournament shot-by-shot," 1 June 2018 Males are born with neither stingers nor an instinct for the hunt, making them essentially mobile sources of sperm. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Five Real Life Wasp Superpowers Not in Ant-Man and the Wasp," 22 Mar. 2018 The wasp, which scientists named Clistopyga crassicaudata, boasts a stinger that is both longer and wider than those seen on most wasps. — Brett Molina, ajc, "Researchers discover in Amazon region a new wasp species with giant stinger," 9 July 2018 Tiger hit a stinger down the center of the fairway that rolled all the way out to 299 yards. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Putting Woes Continue as Tiger Woods Shoots Two-Over 73 on Friday at Wells Fargo," 4 May 2018 Unlike bees, wasps can use their stingers multiple times. — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "Newly Discovered Wasp Has a Terrifyingly Large Stinger," 8 July 2018 The rash is the result of baby jellyfish or anemone stingers. — National Geographic, "What's Giving Some Beachgoers Rashes? Get the Facts.," 28 June 2018 The 75,000 species described so far are likely just the tip of the stinger; wasps may yet prove to be the of animals on the planet. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "Five Real Life Wasp Superpowers Not in Ant-Man and the Wasp," 22 Mar. 2018 Scientists discovered a new wasp species with a terrifyingly large stinger. — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, "Newly Discovered Wasp Has a Terrifyingly Large Stinger," 8 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stinger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

25 Sep 2018

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Time Traveler for stinger

The first known use of stinger was circa 1552

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More Definitions for stinger

stinger

noun

English Language Learners Definition of stinger

: a pointed part on an insect and animal that is used to sting someone

See the full definition for stinger in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stinger

noun

sting·er | \ˈstiŋ-ər

Kids Definition of stinger

: a sharp part of an animal (as a bee or scorpion) that is used to wound and often poison prey or an enemy

stinger

noun

sting·er | \ˈstiŋ-ər

Medical Definition of stinger

1 : a sharp organ (as of a wasp, bee, scorpion, or stingray) that is usually connected with a poison gland or otherwise adapted to wound by piercing and injecting a poison

2 : a usually sports-related injury of the brachial plexus marked by a painful burning sensation that radiates from the neck down the arm and is often accompanied by weakness or numbness of the affected area

— called also burner