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
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
1
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
Verb
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.
Noun
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 on the Web
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
The moment was emotional, personal, but despite the celebration, one thing stung him.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Julia Ries, Health, 25 June 2025
In 2022, an Ohio man suffered 20,000 bee stings when cutting tree branches.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sting
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
In the meantime, the pain of the Elio process still stings for the creatives who saw the movie’s trajectory become something of a cautionary tale.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
The moment was emotional, personal, but despite the celebration, one thing stung him.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Noun
In general, tick bites aren’t painful, whereas bites and stings from other insects typically cause pain.
—Julia Ries, Health, 25 June 2025
In 2022, an Ohio man suffered 20,000 bee stings when cutting tree branches.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sting
Cite this Entry
“Sting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sting. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sting
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to prick painfully especially with a sharp or poisonous stinger
stung by a bee
b
: to affect with or feel quick piercing pain or smart
hail stung their faces
2
: to cause to suffer mentally
stung with regret
3
: overcharge sense 1, cheat
got stung on the deal
4
: to use a stinger
bees sting
sting
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the act of stinging
b
: a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging
2
stingless
adjective
ˈstiŋ-ləs
Medical Definition
sting
1 of 2 verb
: to prick painfully: as
a
: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating process
b
: to affect with sharp quick pain
: to feel or cause a keen burning pain or smart
the injection stung
sting
2 of 2 noun1
2
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