1
as in gouged
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services
a nightclub that's been stinging patrons for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheated
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
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Recent Examples of stung
These scandals stung at the time, but looking back, Cyrus wouldn’t have changed a thing.
—
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
All was going well when suddenly the scorpion stung the frog.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Facing such a talent deficit against a full-strength Knicks team, every turnover stung for the longtime coach.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Wind gusts buffeted the mountain and churned the air into a flurry of ice crystals that stung the climbers’ faces and crackled against their helmets.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026
Getting fired had clearly stung, but his love for Orlando had not faded.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The best illustration of Voros’ power and essential role in making The Madison less bad than it might have otherwise been comes in the second episode, when Paige gets stung by hornets in the Montana cabin’s outhouse.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The loss stung, but a two-loss season had to have been some consolation for the mid-major.
—Zach Powell, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
After the match, that loss really stung.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
All was going well when suddenly the scorpion stung the frog.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Facing such a talent deficit against a full-strength Knicks team, every turnover stung for the longtime coach.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Wind gusts buffeted the mountain and churned the air into a flurry of ice crystals that stung the climbers’ faces and crackled against their helmets.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026
Getting fired had clearly stung, but his love for Orlando had not faded.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026
The best illustration of Voros’ power and essential role in making The Madison less bad than it might have otherwise been comes in the second episode, when Paige gets stung by hornets in the Montana cabin’s outhouse.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The loss stung, but a two-loss season had to have been some consolation for the mid-major.
—Zach Powell, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
After the match, that loss really stung.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stung
Verb
-
In a development as predictable as the Yankees overpaying for talent, viewers grew increasingly weary of getting gouged like that and responded with a wave of cord-cutting that has now ensured that OPM is no longer a viable option for RSNs.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
11 Mar. 2026
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The department was able to give back about $103,891 in restitution to the tenant who was gouged, Carbajal said.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Indigenous people have been cheated through laws such as are operated in Nigeria today.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
-
So those Santa Ana constituents would be cheated out of services if the money remained solely in the First District.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Domestic flights will also get surcharged.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And almost all traffic goes through two main shipping lanes that are even more squeezed.—
Annette Choi,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
-
More than 22,000 oranges are squeezed, and hundreds of gallons of drinks are poured, all for opening day.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The company reported the battery remained stable with no fire or explosion even when overcharged to 200% of its state of charge, and maintained structural integrity under thermal abuse conditions reaching about 392°F.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
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The petition asks for an independent review of Duke Energy’s billing system to determine whether customers have been overcharged and calls on the company to issue refunds if discrepancies are found.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some songs here have been plucked from Robyn’s back catalog and given a dusting up for the 2020s.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Come down from your tower for a steak, some seafood plucked from Gulf waters, a martini.—
Elazar Sontag,
Washington Post,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Despite the intense heat of the last few days is not yet enough to bring drought to a region that was soaked by winter rain, but may make for a dangerous, fuel-heavy fire season, forecasters said Friday.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
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Heavy bands of rain from a new Kona storm soaked Oahu overnight Thursday into Friday, dumping two to three months’ worth of rain in 24 hours.—
Ritu Prasad,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Shade was always a hard worker, the kind of player who hustled on every possession, but the intangibles didn’t always come naturally to her.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
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Santa Clara quickly hustled down the floor, and Allen Graves drained a 3-pointer with just two seconds left to give them a 73-70 lead.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stung. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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