sting

1 to charge (someone) too much for goods or services a nightclub that's been stinging patrons for years Synonyms gouge, soak, overcharge, surchargeRelated Words cheat, defraud, stick; clip, fleece, skin; mischargeAntonyms undercharge

2 to rob by the use of trickery or threats swindlers who sting unwary tourists by posing as officials demanding money Synonyms beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, fleece, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimizeRelated Words extort, wrench, wrest, wring; clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak; exploit, milk; deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick; rope (in); betray, bitch, double-cross; bamboozle, fast-talk

1 an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value the pawn shop operation turned out to be a sting by undercover police officers to catch the ring of burglars Synonyms bunco (or bunko), con, fiddle [chiefly British], flimflam, gyp, hustle, scam, shell game, fraud, swindleRelated Words cross, fix; Ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme; racket, rip-off; thimblerig, three-card monte; device, dodge, gimmick, jig, ploy, scheme, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile; gouging, overcharging, soaking; counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony (also phoney), sham

2 a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body the sting of cold air against my face Synonyms ache, pang, prick, shoot, smart, pain, stitch, throe, tingle, twingeRelated Words discomfort, distress, soreness, tenderness; 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, toothacheNear Antonyms comfort, ease, easiness