Sting

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈstɪŋ/
• US IPA: /ˈstiːŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋ

From Old English sting.

Full definition of sting

Noun

1. A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
2. A bite by an insect.
3. A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
4. A sharp, localised pain primarily on the epidermis
5. (botany) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
6. The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
• Shakespearethe lurking serpent's mortal sting
7. (law enforcement) A police operation in which the police pretend to be criminals in order to catch a criminal.
8. A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
9. A brief sequence of music used in films, TV as a form of punctuation in a dramatic or comedic scene. In certain videogames stings are used to predict immediate future actions or to illustrate a current tension or mood.
10. A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
• 2001, T. J. Mueller, Fixed and Flapping Wing Aerodynamics for Micro Air Vehicle Applications, The balance is mounted externally on top of the wind tunnel test section. A sting connects the balance to the model.
11. (figurative) The harmful or painful part of something.
• Bible, 1 Corinthians xv. 56The sting of death is sin.
• 2011, January 19, Jonathan Stevenson, Leeds 1 - 3 Arsenal, Just as it appeared Arsenal had taken the sting out of the tie, Johnson produced a moment of outrageous quality, thundering a bullet of a left foot shot out of the blue and into the top left-hand corner of Wojciech Szczesny's net with the Pole grasping at thin air.
12. A goad; incitement.
13. The point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.

Synonyms

• (pointed portion of an insect) stinger

From Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic *stinganÄ…. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.

Verb

1. (transitive) To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.Right so came out an adder of a little heathbush, and it stung a knight in the foot.Still, it stung when a slightly older acquaintance asked me why I couldn't do any better.
2. (transitive, of an insect) To bite.
3. (intransitive, sometimes figurative) To hurt, to be in pain.My hand stings after knocking on the door so long.
• 2011, January 11, Jonathan Stevenson, West Ham 2 - 1 Birmingham, But Birmingham were clearly stung by some harsh words from manager Alex McLeish at the break and within 15 minutes of the restart the game had an entirely different complexion.
4. (figurative) To cause harm or pain to.I thought I could park in front of the hotel, but they stung me for five pounds!

Derived terms

• sting like a bee
• stingy

Anagrams

• tings