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Sting Very Common

Sting has 14 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Verb

Definitions
Noun
1

a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung

"the sting of death"

"he felt the stinging of nettles"

2

a mental pain or distress

"a pang of conscience"

3

a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin

"The bee left a sharp sting on my arm before flying away."

4

a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property

"The gambler fell for a sting when he lost all his money on rigged cards that were designed to deceive him."

5

operation designed to catch a person committing a criminal act

"the police conducted a sting operation"

6

A bump left on the skin after having been stung.

"The group decided to run a new sting at the local gaming store after hearing about the latest release from White Wolf."

7

Storytelling in the context of a tabletop role-playing game, especially one published by White Wolf.

In plain English: A sting is an unpleasant feeling of sharp pain caused by being stung with something like a bee's needle.

"The bee sting on my arm started to itch right away."

Usage: The noun sting refers to the painful sensation caused by an insect bite rather than just the physical mark itself. Use this word when describing the immediate pain of being bitten, not as a synonym for the visible bump that remains afterward.

Verb
1

cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort

"The sun burned his face"

2

deliver a sting to

"A bee stung my arm yesterday"

3

saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous

"They stuck me with the dinner bill"

"I was stung with a huge tax bill"

4

cause a stinging pain

"The needle pricked his skin"

5

cause an emotional pain, as if by stinging

"His remark stung her"

6

To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both.

"The doctor applied a topical anesthetic to stop the sting before injecting the needle."

7

present participle of ST

In plain English: To sting means to hurt someone's feelings by being mean, unfair, or critical about something they did wrong.

"The bee's sting hurt my arm, but I shook off the pain quickly."

Example Sentences
"The bee sting on my arm started to itch right away." noun
"The bee's sting hurt my arm, but I shook off the pain quickly." verb
"The wasp sting hurt sharply when it landed on my arm." verb
"His sharp words stung her feelings during the argument." verb
"Cold water will sting your eyes if you splash too much." verb
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
pain injury swindle operation ache pierce force hurt
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
bee sting flea bite mosquito bite sting operation nettle prickle

Origin

The word "sting" comes from Middle English and originally meant a sharp stab or the wound caused by one. It traces its roots back to Old English and Proto-Germanic, where it referred to a thrust made with a pointed instrument.

Rhyming Words
ing ging ying sing ling xing ting zing fing hing qing ving ring jing ping king ning oing ding ming
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