What does "sting" mean?
A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
Sting
/stɪŋ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
- Grammar: sting is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: acerbity, ache, acidity, acridity.
- Useful contrasts: comfort, delight, gentleness.
- Usage evidence: I got a nasty sting from a wasp.
How to use "sting"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sting" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sting" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sting" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sting" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sting" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acerbity" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sting", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
"Look at this nasty hornet sting: it's turned blue!"
- 2 Storytelling in the context of a tabletop role-playing game, especially one published by White Wolf. uncountable
- 3 operation designed to catch a person committing a criminal act wordnet
- 4 A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.
"She died from a bee sting."
- 5 a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property wordnet
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
- 7 a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin wordnet
- 8 A sharp, localized pain primarily on the epidermis.
"That plant will give a little sting if you touch it."
- 9 a mental pain or distress wordnet
- 10 A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
- 11 a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung wordnet
- 12 The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
"the lurking serpent's mortal sting"
- 13 A police operation in which the police pretend to engage in criminal activity in order to catch a criminal.
"The criminal gang was caught after a successful sting."
- 14 A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
- 15 A brief sequence of music used in films, TV, and video games as a form of scenic punctuation or to identify the broadcasting station.
- 16 A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
"The balance is mounted externally on top of the wind tunnel test section. A sting connects the balance to the model."
- 17 The harmful or painful part of something. figuratively
"The ſting of death is ſinne, […]"
- 18 A goad; incitement.
"O most potential love! vow, bond, nor space, / In thee hath neither sting, knot, nor confine"
- 19 The concluding point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.
Verb
- 1 To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both. ambitransitive
- 2 present participle and gerund of ST form-of, gerund, participle, present
- 3 saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous wordnet
- 4 To puncture with the stinger. transitive
"A mosquito stung me on the arm."
- 5 deliver a sting to wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To hurt, to be in pain (physically or emotionally). figuratively, intransitive, sometimes
"My eyes are stinging from the chopped onions."
- 7 cause an emotional pain, as if by stinging wordnet
- 8 To cause harm or pain to. figuratively
"I thought I could park in front of the hotel, but they stung me for five pounds!"
- 9 cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort wordnet
- 10 cause a stinging pain wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"I got a nasty sting from a wasp."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sting"?
Common synonyms include: acerbity, ache, acidity, acridity, acrimony, aculeus.
How do you use "sting" in a sentence?
I got a nasty sting from a wasp.
How do you pronounce "sting"?
Pronounced /stɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also from Old English stynġ, from Proto-Germanic *stungiz.
Etymology 2
From Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan, from Proto-Germanic *stinganą. Compare Swedish and Icelandic stinga.