1
as in scams
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
Relevance
2
as in pains
a sharp unpleasant sensation usually felt in some specific part of the body
the sting of cold air against my face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in gouges
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 plucks
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.
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Recent Examples of stings
Brendan Marks, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Purple flags were also raised to warn beachgoers of the danger of jellyfish stings.
—Joan Murray, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
However, the reaction may vary from person to person, and may be worse for someone who is allergic to insect stings.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Schmidt, who was research director of the Southwest Biological Institute, sorted stings into four tiers of pain, from the mildly annoying to the intensely painful.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Other stings by Lampros have similarly led police to evidence of further crimes, police reports show.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
The uncertainty of it all stings.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Those bars were also the site of police stings related to cocaine dealing, underage alcohol sales and flouting COVID-era business rules.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
For a city that helped define the modern Harry Styles concert era, the omission stings.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Someone Ederra knows has died, and the pain stings.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
That role, and the vitriol from within the industry toward the movie (a flop turned cult favorite), still stings.
—Cat Woods, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
The result stings, but the fightback should give them confidence to carry forward.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
That still stings 30 years later.
—Hank Tester, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
For the show’s devoted fanbase, the loss stings — but there’s no shortage of series ready to fill the void.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
Of Iran’s many squandered possibilities, the waste of our soft power stings the most.
—Arash Azizi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
But losing two players with first-round potential in McNeil and Able stings.
—Brendan Marks, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
Purple flags were also raised to warn beachgoers of the danger of jellyfish stings.
—Joan Murray, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
However, the reaction may vary from person to person, and may be worse for someone who is allergic to insect stings.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Schmidt, who was research director of the Southwest Biological Institute, sorted stings into four tiers of pain, from the mildly annoying to the intensely painful.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Other stings by Lampros have similarly led police to evidence of further crimes, police reports show.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
The uncertainty of it all stings.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026
Those bars were also the site of police stings related to cocaine dealing, underage alcohol sales and flouting COVID-era business rules.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
For a city that helped define the modern Harry Styles concert era, the omission stings.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
That’s the part that stings the most.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Someone Ederra knows has died, and the pain stings.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
That role, and the vitriol from within the industry toward the movie (a flop turned cult favorite), still stings.
—Cat Woods, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
The result stings, but the fightback should give them confidence to carry forward.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
That still stings 30 years later.
—Hank Tester, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
For the show’s devoted fanbase, the loss stings — but there’s no shortage of series ready to fill the void.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026
Of Iran’s many squandered possibilities, the waste of our soft power stings the most.
—Arash Azizi, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stings
Noun
-
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, has pledged to remove imposter accounts tied to scams that were recently flagged by the Manhattan district attorney's office, following a phone call between the two parties this week, the DA's office told ABC News Friday.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
DeviantArt’s Protect feature uses state-of-the-art image recognition to help safeguard creators’ work against unauthorized use, and the platform employs a dedicated team to investigate and mitigate the impact from spam, scams, fraud, and other bad actors.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gibson cited increasingly severe stomach pains and diarrhea across several days as her family's symptoms.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Branch Rickey and Leo Durocher, the Dodgers’ general manager and manager, took great pains to protect Robinson, but protecting him from all of the vitriol was an impossibility.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2017, he was recalled after backing the $5 billion yearly gas tax that still gouges at the pump.—
John Seiler,
Oc Register,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Carrera now plucks the melody in single notes.—
Peter Wayne Moe,
Longreads,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Researchers suggested that future studies should include people who actually experience tingles to better understand how ASMR might help with mental health and relaxation.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
An electronic safety system monitors each cell during operations, avoiding both under- and overcharges.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
22 Aug. 2017
Verb
-
Focusing on everyday shapewear, Yummie hugs instead of squeezes like traditional shapewear that can be extremely tight and constrictive.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Short sellers betting against CoreWeave are racking up steep losses as a recent rally squeezes bearish positions.—
Sean Conlon,Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Grandmother explains how each plant helps humans ease aches and pains, as well as offering good foods like honey from the bees that drink from plants.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Some of the first signs of Lyme disease include mild fever, joint aches, muscle pain, fatigue and headache.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stings. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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