stingray

noun

sting·​ray ˈstiŋ-ˌrā 

: any of numerous rays (as of the family Dasyatidae) with one or more large sharp barbed dorsal spines near the base of the whiplike tail capable of inflicting severe wounds

Illustration of stingray

Examples of stingray in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scuba Diving Montage Los Cabos, Mexico The only 5-star PADI Resort in Los Cabos, Montage Los Cabos offers opportunities for scuba certification and exclusive night dives that reveal bioluminescent marine life, stingrays, octopuses and more under a moonlit sky. —Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Other potential marine threats in the area include bull sharks, barracudas, Southern stingrays, and Moray eels—though such encounters are rare in the shallows. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025

Mermaids Cove has returned as an interactive event where guests can meet performers dressed as mermaids and touch a stingray. —Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 8 June 2025

Puns aside, here are five tips to avoid a painful stingray encounter at the beach. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stingray

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

stingray

noun

sting·​ray ˈstiŋ-ˌrā 

: any of numerous rays that have one or more large sharp stinging spines near the base of the whiplike tail

Medical Definition

stingray

noun

sting·​ray

ˈstiŋ-ˌrā also -rē

: any of numerous large flat cartilaginous fishes (order Rajiformes and especially family Dasyatidae) with one or more large sharp barbed dorsal spines near the base of the whiplike tail capable of inflicting severe wounds