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
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 9 July 2025
Those walking through Aurillac, a quaint French community, were stung over a 30-minute period, with three people in critical condition evacuated to a hospital.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 8 July 2025
Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
And so, Frank and Dennis took to shaking down the populace after Frank sprang for two police uniforms, Dee beat the hell out of the unhoused masturbator, and Charlie seized upon his undercover Serpico cop role to attempt a series of stings on his fellow corrupt fake cops.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for sting
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The bees became aggressive and stung the man multiple times.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 9 July 2025
Those walking through Aurillac, a quaint French community, were stung over a 30-minute period, with three people in critical condition evacuated to a hospital.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 8 July 2025
Noun
The most common symptoms of a jellyfish sting include pain, burning, and redness at the site of the sting, with red, raised lines or welts.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
And so, Frank and Dennis took to shaking down the populace after Frank sprang for two police uniforms, Dee beat the hell out of the unhoused masturbator, and Charlie seized upon his undercover Serpico cop role to attempt a series of stings on his fellow corrupt fake cops.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 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 19 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share