sting
sting — verb
1. When an insect, animal, or plant stings you, it drives a sharp body part into yo
When an insect, animal, or plant stings you, it drives a sharp body part into your skin and releases a small amount of poison into the wound, causing pain and often swelling.
A wasp **stung** Dewi on the arm while she was picking apples in the garden.
sting + person on + body part
Brooke was **stung** by a jellyfish while swimming near the coral reef.
passive: be stung by [animal]
Some plants **sting** if you brush against their leaves by accident.
A neighbour's child was **stung** on the foot by a scorpion hiding in a shoe.
passive + on + body part by [animal]
- be stung by a bee/wasp/jellyfish
- sting on the arm/leg/hand
- stinging nettle
Grammar Patterns
sting + object (someone/something)
sting + adverbial (on/in [body part])
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive (be/get stung). The stinging object is usually introduced with by. The body part uses on (stung on the arm) or in (stung in the eye).
Common Mistakes
2. If a part of your body stings, or if a substance makes it sting, you feel a shar
If a part of your body stings, or if a substance makes it sting, you feel a sharp burning ache that usually does not last very long.
Tariq's eyes began to **sting** after he chopped onions for the soup.
body part + sting (intransitive)
The salt water made the cut on Shanti's knee **sting** badly.
make + object + sting (causative)
Imani rubbed her hands together to stop them from **stinging** in the cold wind.
The disinfectant **stung** for a moment when Liang poured it over the wound.
intransitive: stung for a moment
- eyes sting
- cut/wound stings
- sting from soap/sweat/salt water
- soothe
to make a painful or stinging feeling go away
Grammar Patterns
something stings (intransitive)
something stings someone (transitive)
Usage Note
Intransitive (My eyes sting) is more common than transitive. The causative pattern make + object + sting (The smoke made my eyes sting) is also frequent. This sense overlaps with smart but smart is less common in American English.
Common Mistakes
3. When a harsh comment or a cruel act stings you, you feel a sudden sharp emotiona
When a harsh comment or a cruel act stings you, you feel a sudden sharp emotional pain, often mixed with anger or embarrassment.
Soraya was **stung** by the criticism from her manager during the team meeting.
passive: be stung by [criticism/remark]
Ziad's comment about her accent **stung** more than he realised at the time.
It **stung** Nikos to hear that his oldest friend had lied to him.
it stings + to-infinitive clause
Dewi was visibly **stung** when her teammates laughed at her suggestion.
passive: visibly stung by [action]
- stung by criticism/remarks
- stung by rejection/betrayal
- words sting
- please
to make someone feel happy rather than hurt
Grammar Patterns
sting + object (person)
be stung by + noun phrase
it stings (intransitive)
Usage Note
Often used in the passive (be stung by a remark). Note the impersonal construction it stings + to-infinitive (It stung her to realise...), which has no equivalent in the physical-pain sense.
Common Mistakes
4. To charge someone much more money than is fair or expected, often in a surprisin
To charge someone much more money than is fair or expected, often in a surprising or dishonest way.
The taxi driver **stung** Liang for fifty pounds on the short ride to the station.
sting someone for + amount of money
Dahlia got **stung** by the repair shop when they charged her double the usual rate.
passive: get stung by [business/person]
Tourists often get **stung** at the souvenir market near the harbour.
The car rental company **stung** him for an extra cleaning fee he had not expected.
sting someone for + unexpected fee
- stung for £50/$100
- get stung by a taxi/repair shop/tourist trap
- overcharge
more neutral and formal; sting implies surprise and unfairness
- rip off
equally informal but more common in American English
- undercharge
to charge less than the expected or fair price
Grammar Patterns
be/get stung for + amount
sting someone for + amount
Usage Note
Chiefly British and informal. The pattern be/get stung for an amount (I got stung for £200) is the most common construction. In American English, this sense is less frequent; ripped off is the usual equivalent.
Common Mistakes
a sting in the tail
idiomAn unexpected and unpleasant part of something that seems good or positive at first.
The contract had a **sting in the tail** — the bonus only applied after five years of work.
The film seemed like a comedy but carried a **sting in the tail** that left the audience in tears.
sting — noun
1. A sudden sharp burning feeling on your skin, in your eyes, or in another part of
A sudden sharp burning feeling on your skin, in your eyes, or in another part of your body, usually lasting only a short time.
Gabriela felt a sharp **sting** in her foot after stepping on a broken shell.
a sting in + body part
The **sting** of the cold wind on her cheeks made Tamar pull her scarf up higher.
the sting of + [natural element]
Élise rubbed her eyes and tried to blink away the **sting** of the soapy water.
Christopher felt a sudden **sting** on his neck and realised a mosquito had bitten him.
a sting on + body part
- feel a sting
- a sharp sting
- the sting of salt/wind/soap
Grammar Patterns
a sting in/on + body part
the sting of + noun
Usage Note
Countable but most common in the singular. Used with prepositions in (a sting in my eye), on (a sting on my leg), or of (the sting of the wind).
2. The emotional pain you suffer when someone says or does something deliberately u
The emotional pain you suffer when someone says or does something deliberately unkind or unfair to you.
The **sting** of his rejection stayed with Dahlia for weeks after the breakup.
the sting of + [negative experience]
Time had softened the **sting** of the memory, but she had not fully forgotten it.
soften/ease the sting of [experience]
There was a **sting** in his voice that made Shanti realise he was still angry.
Brooke tried to laugh off the comment, but the **sting** of it lasted all day.
the sting of [something] lasted
- the sting of rejection/defeat
- soften the sting
- the sting of loss/betrayal
Grammar Patterns
the sting of + noun phrase
Usage Note
Almost always singular. The most common pattern is the sting of + a negative experience (rejection, failure, betrayal). The verb soften or ease is frequently used with sting to describe the lessening of emotional pain over time.
3. The small, sharp organ on certain insects and animals that injects venom into yo
The small, sharp organ on certain insects and animals that injects venom into your skin when they pierce it.
A bee leaves its **sting** in the skin and dies soon afterwards.
leave its sting in the skin
The **sting** of a scorpion is located at the very tip of its long tail.
the sting of + [animal] + is located at/in
Liang carefully removed the **sting** from his arm with a pair of tweezers.
A wasp's **sting** is smooth, so the insect can attack the same target many times.
possessive: [insect]'s sting
- remove a sting
- leave its sting behind
- the sting of a bee/wasp/scorpion
- stinger
more technical; sting is used more often for bees, stinger for scorpions and larger insects
Grammar Patterns
the sting of + insect
Usage Note
Distinguish from noun sense 1 (the pain): sense 3 refers to the physical body part itself, not the sensation. Also known as a stinger, though sting is more common in everyday speech for bees and wasps.
4. A carefully planned dishonest scheme that tricks people into giving money or val
A carefully planned dishonest scheme that tricks people into giving money or valuable things to criminals.
The investment **sting** cost dozens of families their life savings.
Nikos's uncle lost his entire pension in an online **sting** that promised huge returns.
in + a/an [type] sting
The police uncovered a credit card **sting** operating out of a fake storefront.
Hyun nearly fell for a rental **sting** where the landlord did not own the apartment.
- an investment sting
- online sting
- credit card sting
- sting operation
Grammar Patterns
a sting + to-infinitive
sting operation
Usage Note
Often compounded with the type of fraud: investment sting, credit card sting, insurance sting. Overlaps with noun sense 5 (police sting), but sense 4 focuses on the criminal's scheme, while sense 5 focuses on the police's trap.
5. A law-enforcement operation in which officers act as if they are committing a cr
A law-enforcement operation in which officers act as if they are committing a crime, in order to arrest real criminals during the act.
The undercover officer set up a **sting** to catch the drug dealers at the warehouse.
set up a sting
Three people were arrested in a police **sting** targeting stolen car parts.
in a police sting + targeting + [crime]
Tariq watched a documentary about an FBI **sting** that brought down an art theft ring.
Local news reported on a major **sting** that shut down an illegal firearms network.
- police sting
- sting operation
- set up a sting
- FBI sting
- trap
simpler and broader; sting implies a more elaborate setup by authorities
- undercover operation
more formal; longer than a sting and may involve longer-term infiltration
Grammar Patterns
sting operation
in a sting
a police sting
Usage Note
Almost always used with police or law enforcement context. The compound sting operation is very frequent. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 5 is a law-enforcement trap, not a criminal scheme.
6. A very short animated clip, usually only a few seconds long, used to advertise a
A very short animated clip, usually only a few seconds long, used to advertise a brand, a television channel, or a product.
The TV channel uses a brief animated **sting** between programmes to show its logo.
channel sting
Brooke designed a five-second **sting** for the company's new social media campaign.
Viewers recognised the familiar **sting** that played before the evening news broadcast.
The production team created a colourful **sting** for the streaming service's launch event.
- channel sting
- brand sting
- animated sting
- five-second sting
Grammar Patterns
channel sting
a sting for + brand/channel
Usage Note
A specialised term in broadcasting and advertising. Also called a channel ident or station ID. Not to be confused with the other noun senses — the context is always media production.
Word family
- stingernounB2
- stingingadjectiveB1
- stungverb (past tense / past participle)A2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These words all describe skin injuries from animals, but differ in mechanism and intensity. Sting specifically involves poison injection through a sharp body part — bees, wasps, jellyfish, and scorpions sting. Bite means gripping or cutting with mouthparts — mosquitoes, ants, spiders, and snakes bite (though spider bites can also inject venom, the action is biting, not stinging). Prick is lighter and needle-like, used for tiny, brief sensations like a thorn or injection needle; it does not imply poison. Stinger technically names the body part (the bee's stinger) but is occasionally used as a synonym for the whole event. For a learner: use sting when the animal leaves venom through a specialised organ; use bite when teeth or mouthparts break the skin.
Common collocations
Etymology
Sting comes from Old English stingan (to prick, pierce), which goes back to a Germanic root *stinganą. The same root appears in Old Norse stinga and German stechen. The noun form emerged in the 13th century, first for the wound itself and later for the insect's body part. The emotional sense (hurt feelings) dates from the 16th century, and the criminal-scam sense appeared in American English around the 1930s, likely from the idea of a painful surprise.