1
: to prick painfully: such as
a
: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating process
b
: to affect with sharp quick pain or smart
hail stung their faces
2
: to cause to suffer acutely
stung with remorse
3
: overcharge, cheat
1
: to wound one with or as if with a sting
2
: to feel a keen burning pain or smart
also
: to cause such pain
1
2
3
: a sharp or stinging element, force, or quality
4
: an elaborate confidence game
specifically
: such a game worked by undercover police in order to trap criminals
Synonyms
Examples of sting in a Sentence
Verb
I got stung by a bee.
The jellyfish stung the swimmer.
The bees will sting if you bother them.
The iodine will sting for a few minutes.
The cold rain stung my eyes.
The smoke made our eyes sting.
She was stung by their harsh criticism.
Noun
When you get the shot, you'll feel a little sting.
His arm was covered with bee stings.
They were caught in a drug sting.
a sting operation by police
Recent Examples on the Web
Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025
The tariffs against Canada and Mexico are especially stinging due to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade pact that was a signature agreement under Trump’s first administration.
—Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Feb. 2025
Alana Semuels, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
Does that take the sting off the governor's voucher expansion plan, or is there still concern that an expansion would negatively affect us here in Nashville?
—Nate Rau, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sting 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Should sting operations be left to the professionals?
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2025
The tariffs against Canada and Mexico are especially stinging due to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade pact that was a signature agreement under Trump’s first administration.
—Mabinty Quarshie, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
Though the places likely to see the most jobs affected are in populated cities like Houston and Detroit, the communities that could feel the biggest sting from the tariffs are in rural areas where affected industries make up a large share of the local economy.
—Alana Semuels, TIME, 7 Feb. 2025
Does that take the sting off the governor's voucher expansion plan, or is there still concern that an expansion would negatively affect us here in Nashville?
—Nate Rau, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for sting
Dictionary Entries Near sting
Cite this Entry
“Sting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sting. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sting
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to prick painfully especially with a sharp or poisonous stinger
stung by a bee
b
: to affect with or feel quick piercing pain or smart
hail stung their faces
2
: to cause to suffer mentally
stung with regret
3
: overcharge sense 1, cheat
got stung on the deal
4
: to use a stinger
bees sting
sting
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the act of stinging
b
: a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging
2
stingless
adjective
ˈstiŋ-ləs
Medical Definition
sting
1 of 2 verb
: to prick painfully: as
a
: to pierce or wound with a poisonous or irritating process
b
: to affect with sharp quick pain
: to feel or cause a keen burning pain or smart
the injection stung
sting
2 of 2 noun1
2
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