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
Relevance
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
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 stung
Now owned by the National Gallery in London, the painting, showing Roman god Cupid complaining to his mother Venus about being stung by bees, can be seen in the center of a blurry, black-and-white photograph dating to the 1940s that was published in a 1978 furniture catalog.
—
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
Teng stung in fourth The Astros deployed Kai-Wei Teng as an opener for the second time this season.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 10 May 2026
Then again, based on how things went with the Terry Rozier trade and the flagrant foul on LaMelo Ball that went uncalled in real time in the Heat’s play-in elimination last month in Charlotte, getting stung by the Hornets has almost become de rigueur.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2026
And the loss stung in multiple ways.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Otherwise, the what-if blues would’ve stung a lot longer.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets have lost plenty of playoff games the past two springs, but few have stung like this.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Meyer acknowledged the logic behind preparing Nick Bosa for the NFL Draft but admitted the choice still stung as the Buckeyes chased a title.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Many hospital systems in Connecticut have stopped suing their patients over unpaid bills, stung by criticism about the harm caused by aggressive collection tactics.
—Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
Teng stung in fourth The Astros deployed Kai-Wei Teng as an opener for the second time this season.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 10 May 2026
Then again, based on how things went with the Terry Rozier trade and the flagrant foul on LaMelo Ball that went uncalled in real time in the Heat’s play-in elimination last month in Charlotte, getting stung by the Hornets has almost become de rigueur.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2026
And the loss stung in multiple ways.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
Otherwise, the what-if blues would’ve stung a lot longer.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets have lost plenty of playoff games the past two springs, but few have stung like this.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Meyer acknowledged the logic behind preparing Nick Bosa for the NFL Draft but admitted the choice still stung as the Buckeyes chased a title.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Many hospital systems in Connecticut have stopped suing their patients over unpaid bills, stung by criticism about the harm caused by aggressive collection tactics.
—Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stung
Verb
-
Nobody likes being price gouged, whether at the gas pump, ticket purchase, or a rideshare.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Then thunder crashes and a hand with an open wound gets gouged open.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Even at Princeton, obviously, some students have always cheated.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
-
To the curry-sphere and beyond Iyer cheated a touch with the book’s title because some chapters exist outside of the sauce world.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Domestic flights will also get surcharged.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, American families are getting squeezed by high gas prices, unaffordable housing, soaring grocery bills and out-of-touch politicians who are more focused on woke ideology than on real solutions.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Geneva coach Brad Wendell knew that Kastor’s slow start last season squeezed him out of the lineup.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The jury found that fans were overcharged for tickets as a direct result of this monopoly, paying higher fees for their tickets.—
Letitia James,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
-
On Wednesday, a New York federal jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s no trace of anything strummed or plucked; clusters of tone simply materialize out of thin air, as capricious as weather.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
-
He’s plucked employees from companies like Uber, Google, and Facebook to professionalize the place.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
After the chamber cleared, House clerks pulled them apart, stomped on them and eventually soaked them in water until the noises gradually died.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Returning with a search warrant, detectives found blood residue leading from the kitchen to Abugharbieh's bedroom, and more blood that soaked his bedroom carpet.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Dominguez hustled back to the wall and made a spectacular catch, but crashed incredibly hard into the wall.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Caminero led off with a walk, then hustled to third when Aranda followed with a single.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stung. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
