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
Last year’s finals loss stung because the Lynx came so close.
—
Ben Pickman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Congressional Democrats feel stung by the mass layoffs and program cuts that followed the last stopgap spending deal in March.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
At a family gathering in Huntsville, Alabama, I was stung by the divisive image on my 16-year-old relative’s T-shirt.
—Sabrina S. Fu, Twin Cities, 18 Sep. 2025
Salt stung eyes and clung to skin, while the smell of brine and fish hung heavy in the air.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
That has also stung Club name Texas Roadhouse .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Among those who are allergic, adults are generally considered at higher risk of a potentially life-threatening reaction, because the allergy intensifies the more times the person has been stung throughout their life.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
But nothing stung like that question.
—Heather Straughter, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
And one of her stories, about her dad, Anthony, stung.
—Charlie Wells, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Ben Pickman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Congressional Democrats feel stung by the mass layoffs and program cuts that followed the last stopgap spending deal in March.
—Ronald J. Hansen, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
At a family gathering in Huntsville, Alabama, I was stung by the divisive image on my 16-year-old relative’s T-shirt.
—Sabrina S. Fu, Twin Cities, 18 Sep. 2025
Salt stung eyes and clung to skin, while the smell of brine and fish hung heavy in the air.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
That has also stung Club name Texas Roadhouse .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Among those who are allergic, adults are generally considered at higher risk of a potentially life-threatening reaction, because the allergy intensifies the more times the person has been stung throughout their life.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
But nothing stung like that question.
—Heather Straughter, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
And one of her stories, about her dad, Anthony, stung.
—Charlie Wells, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stung
Verb
-
Successive hurricanes had gouged a hole in the Sunshine State, leaving several private carriers insolvent — and leaving hundreds of thousands of their customers with no choice but Citizens.—
Mario Ariza,
ProPublica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
But a low spot in the ocean, a channel gouged down into the sand on the ocean surface, or a break in a sandbar, can disrupt that flow and push water through the spot to create a current much more powerful than the surrounding flow.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
When Swift acts in a way that is seemingly out of character, audiences feel cheated.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
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The scandal exposed how some wealthy families cheated and bribed to secure spots for their children at elite universities, sparking nationwide outrage over denied opportunities for more deserving students.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meet Nashville's new crime-fighting Clydesdale Metro Nashville mounted patrol officer Michael Douglas squeezed a three-foot-long rubber chicken, producing an increasingly louder and closer screeching sound to try and provoke a 1,700-pound Clydesdale named Ross.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
-
While ultrafast and squeezed light pulses have been separately used for transmitting data, combining them enhances both speed and security.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Flat-rate pricing leads to value misalignment, high-usage customers feel undercharged, and low-usage customers feel overcharged.—
Chris Kent,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
The sale was made by an international brokerage firm, owned by Boulos’ cousin, which overcharged the seemingly business savvy Kushner by millions of dollars and worked to conceal the true price.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Sofia Coppola’s cult-favorite (if historically murky-at-best) 2006 film Marie Antoinette plucked the queen from history-book pages and pasted her on contemporary mood boards.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The kiss cam focused not on the attendees, but on couples plucked from Netflix’s various reality dating shows.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Bahamas are still enduring Imelda’s winds and heavy rain after being soaked over the weekend, even as the storm started to move away Monday afternoon.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Much of the Bahamas are expected to be soaked — with six to twelve inches of rain in the heaviest spots near the northwest — and be swept by winds of 45 mph and up as the depression strengthens into Tropical Storm Imelda as early as today.—
Alex Harris
Updated September 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And before the card shop owner from Lexington, Kentucky, could introduce himself to the NBA player, the 6-foot-7 LaRavia hustled over and beat him to it.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Agents grabbed one man who appeared to be charging up the driveway, pinned him to the ground and hustled him behind the gate with his hands behind his back.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Investors and economists are stuck looking to other sources of data for information about the economy.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In the meantime, borrowers stuck in the backlog may not be making progress toward loan forgiveness, either under the terms of an IDR plan or through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stung. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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