1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

sting 1 of 2

noun

Definition of stingnext
1
as in tingle
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body the sting of cold air against my face

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scam
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 & Similar Words

sting

2 of 2

verb

ˈstiŋ How to pronounce sting (audio)
1
as in to gouge
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services a nightclub that's been stinging patrons for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pluck
to rob by the use of trickery or threats swindlers who sting unwary tourists by posing as officials demanding money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sting
Noun
Yellow jackets may scavenge for food near your outdoor spaces, which can contribute to more likely stings. — Nick Perry, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 Maybe that takes the sting out of high prices for souvenirs such as sweatshirts, T-shirts and caps. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
Democrats, fresh off of stinging losses in the 2024 election up and down the ballot, have rebounded with their voting base and independents unhappy with the status quo. — Stephen Fowler, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026 By mid-morning, bees continued to fly around as city workers did their best to cut the tree without getting stung or agitating the hives any further. — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sting
  1. tingle
  2. scam
  3. gouge
  4. pluck
  5. ache
  6. fraud
  7. cheat
  8. squeeze
Noun
  • There have been quite a few Lost-like moments throughout the run of Silo, but none have had exactly the same Lost-y tingle as our first peek inside Silo 1 in the season-three finale.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Fruit extracts clarify excess oil and buildup, while a cooling mint complex and menthol deliver a refreshing tingle, leaving your scalp feeling clean, balanced, and freshly reset.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 June 2026
Definition of tingle
Noun
  • In December, Vance amplified a YouTube video of a popular right-wing influencer accusing child-care providers, many of them immigrants from Somalia, of running scams.
    — Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Online scams have been on the rise this decade, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, targeting people over 60 in particular.
    — Greta Reich, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of scam
Verb
  • The shrapnel tore through the metal surrounding the engine, shattering the window at row 11, leaving a dent in the plane near row 8 and puncturing the body below the wing, as well as gouging and denting the tail, the NTSB said.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Also, refrain from pressure washing aggressively, as this can gouge the wood.
    — Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2026
Definition of gouge
Verb
  • That’s what life is like for NFL players who were plucked off the waiver wire last week, or those who have signed with a new team last week after not making their old team’s initial 53-man roster.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Last January Nessie O’Neil, a graduate student in biology at Miami University in Ohio, watched as a young pygmy raccoon plucked a receipt from the paper trash.
    — Isabel Gil, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pluck
Noun
  • For a filmmaker who built 17 minutes around the ache of being watched, there’s a quiet symmetry to it — a stretch on the Lido spent, for once, doing the looking herself.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Symptoms and treatment For most people, West Nile produces mild symptoms — such as fever, aches and rashes — or none at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ache
Noun
  • The government also hasn't shown evidence of past fraud to justify the restrictions, the judges said.
    — NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The breach could put affected consumers at risk of identity theft and fraud, particularly because driver's license information can be used to help verify your identity.
    — Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of fraud
Verb
  • Some of the common concerns addressed by the guidance include the privacy of student data being input into AI systems, the potential for cheating and emphasis on human input and verification.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In an atmosphere of uncertainty—and given prevailing concerns about students using AI to cheat—such bans would seem to make some sense.
    — Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Oil prices, meanwhile, continued to climb as fighting in the Middle East keeps squeezing the global flow of crude.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The price for a barrel of Brent crude went above $109 on Monday morning as fighting in the Middle East keeps squeezing the global flow of oil.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeeze

Browse Nearby Words

stimulus
sting
stinger
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sting. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All