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
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
In some cases, the frogs were even stung in the mouths and eyes.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025
The pain can last up to an hour and usually stays in the area where the victim was stung but can occasionally travel to other parts of the body.
—Hunter Geisel, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
The catalogue of negatives is rather long at the moment, from a slow start and injury to the team’s best player, to major drop-offs in defending and goaltending, to a punch-less power play, to injuries and front-office decision making that’s stung.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025
An American teacher and his teenage son have been stung to death while on holiday in Laos.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
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
In some cases, the frogs were even stung in the mouths and eyes.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2025
The pain can last up to an hour and usually stays in the area where the victim was stung but can occasionally travel to other parts of the body.
—Hunter Geisel, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
The catalogue of negatives is rather long at the moment, from a slow start and injury to the team’s best player, to major drop-offs in defending and goaltending, to a punch-less power play, to injuries and front-office decision making that’s stung.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2025
An American teacher and his teenage son have been stung to death while on holiday in Laos.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 5 Nov. 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
-
Bondi forgave a crime that had put people’s lives at risk and cheated the government of vaccine doses that could have been given to others.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The tension resurfaced when her sister discovered her partner had cheated again and asked to stay at the poster’s home with both children.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
At one point, the fear that squeezed my stomach tighter and tighter gave way to stupefaction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Even if those increases eventually unwind, the impact will fall on households that have already been squeezed for decades, and many households are no longer assuming prices will fall back—they’ve been burned too often.—
Gene Ludwig,
Fortune,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Thermal runaway, or self-heating, can occur without warning in lithium batteries as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged or improperly packed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While Marty Supreme is only loosely inspired by Reisman, there are several sequences and character details plucked from his life.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Arsene Wenger was plucked from ‘Japan’, as Sir Alex Ferguson memorably enunciated it, in 1996.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
California has zero areas of abnormal dryness for the first time in 25 years after an exceptionally wet holiday season soaked the state.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The heavy rain soaked the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in 20 years, canceling the on-field pregame show.—
Kyle David,
ABC News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mountain View Fire Rescue hustled to get to a fire caused by a power pole that blew down.—
Michael Abeyta,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2025
-
My mother—an incredible single mom of four kids—just hustled.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But there is a primal scream stuck in our collective throat.—
Phil Morris The Minnesota Star Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Even after the pick-less Young trade, there does seem to be a pathway present for the Heat to restock with draft picks while, like the Hawks, continually stuck in play-in-ville.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stung. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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