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
The criticism stung deeper coming from someone who avoided Vietnam military service.
—
Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
His sarcasm stung almost daily, but the winning followed weekly.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
If someone gets stung, they're advised to notify a lifeguard and immerse the area in hot water to reduce pain.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
The last of them, in particular, away to his previous club Atalanta three days earlier, stung Gasperini.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Tuesday’s loss in Orlando stung a little more for the Miami Heat than the usual December loss during a long 82-game regular season.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025
But still, some losses have stung harder than others.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Trump’s words will have stung for two reasons.
—Luke McGee, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
Still, the message stung more since it was sent during a time when the poster was dealing with postpartum depression, anxiety and the stress of preparing for an out-of-state move.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025
Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
His sarcasm stung almost daily, but the winning followed weekly.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
If someone gets stung, they're advised to notify a lifeguard and immerse the area in hot water to reduce pain.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
The last of them, in particular, away to his previous club Atalanta three days earlier, stung Gasperini.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Tuesday’s loss in Orlando stung a little more for the Miami Heat than the usual December loss during a long 82-game regular season.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Dec. 2025
But still, some losses have stung harder than others.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Trump’s words will have stung for two reasons.
—Luke McGee, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
Still, the message stung more since it was sent during a time when the poster was dealing with postpartum depression, anxiety and the stress of preparing for an out-of-state move.
—Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stung
Verb
-
After getting gouged repeatedly by bootleg play-action passes, screens and space plays over their first two series, the Pats struck back with a short-yardage stop and forced fumble on the next two series.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
At Dia, the cage has been reconstructed in full, complete with Hsieh’s boots and his tally marks gouged into the wall.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Those very few still alive believe to this day that they are being cheated out of Social Security benefits.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As the continents sheared and twisted unevenly, local forces squeezed together thin ribbons of crust and popped them up like geological meerkats, isolating and slicing them off.—
Evan Howell,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Walmart had become the poster child of the big bad corporation that underpaid its workers, squeezed its suppliers and tore at the fabric of small-town America.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit alleges diabetic Iowans have been overcharged millions of dollars a year and cut off from affordable insulin.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
30 Jan. 2026
-
After the Boynton Beach location changed hands in 2021, the new owners discovered that insurance companies had been billed and over 80 patients had been charged for work that was not performed or overcharged, according to the affidavit, many of them 65 or older.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mornings begin at your own pace with homemade granola and shakshuka before heartier lunches and dinners of chicken tagine, lamb kebabs and roasted eggplant with colourful zesty salads mostly plucked from the on-site vegetable garden.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
-
There’s also Liège waffles ($10), plucked from the Good Neighbor dessert menu, and playful milkshakes ($10) and smoothies ($11) that can be made boozy for an additional $6.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His sweatshirt was soaked, and his face looked cold.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The health secretary, who turned 72 this month and celebrated with a hefty steak, pairs the diet with foods that are fermented, typically meaning they are soaked, salted or cultured to let natural bacteria or yeast break down sugars over time.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Toronto hustled to a 14-point advantage before settling for a 32-24 lead after one quarter.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Fiala hustled back to block Eichel’s shot, but Eichel recovered it to find Stone on the doorstep for an uncontested winner.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Between mortgage rates stuck for most of the year well above 6%, insurance costs that shocked homeowners, and the rapid development of AI tools that can value your property in seconds, the housing market has been anything but predictable.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Feb. 2026
-
When the novel opens in Florence, in 1557, the body of the painter Jacopo da Pontormo lies in the chapel of San Lorenzo—in front of the frescoes he’d labored over for a decade, with a painter’s chisel stuck in his heart.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stung. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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