Adjacent Words

Sting definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STING, v.t. pret. and pp. stung. Stang is obsolete. [G., to stick, to sting. We see that sting, is stick altered in orthography and pronunciation.]
1. To pierce with the sharp pointed instrument with which certain animals are furnished, such as bees, wasps, scorpions and the like. Bees will seldom sting persons, unless they are first provoked.
2. To pain acutely; as, the conscience is stung with remorse.
Slander stings the brave.
STING, n.
1. A sharp pointed weapon or instrument which certain animals are armed by nature for their defense, and which they thrust from the hinder part of the body to pierce any animal that annoys or provokes them. In most instances, this instrument is a tube, through which a poisonous matter is discharged, which inflames the flesh, and in some instances proves fatal to life.
2. The thrust of a sting into the flesh. The sting of most insects produces acute pain.
3. Any thing that gives acute pain. Thus we speak of the stings of remorse; the stings of reproach.
4. The point in the last verse; as the sting of an epigram.
5. That which gives the principal pain, or constitutes the principal terror.
The sting of death is sin. 1 Corinthians 15.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung; "the sting of death"; "he felt the stinging of nettles" [syn: sting, stinging]
2: a mental pain or distress; "a pang of conscience" [syn: pang, sting]
3: a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin [syn: sting, bite, insect bite]
4: a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property [syn: bunco, bunco game, bunko, bunko game, con, confidence trick, confidence game, con game, gyp, hustle, sting, flimflam] v
1: cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun burned his face" [syn: bite, sting, burn]
2: deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday" [syn: sting, bite, prick]
3: saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous; "They stuck me with the dinner bill"; "I was stung with a huge tax bill" [syn: stick, sting]
4: cause a stinging pain; "The needle pricked his skin" [syn: prick, sting, twinge]
5: cause an emotional pain, as if by stinging; "His remark stung her"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (stung; stinging) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English stingan; akin to Old Norse stinga to sting and probably to Greek stachys spike of grain, stochos target, aim Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to prick painfully: 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 intransitive verb 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 • stingingly adverb II. noun Date: before 12th century 1. a. the act of stinging; specifically the thrust of a stinger into the flesh b. a wound or pain caused by or as if by stinging 2. stinger 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

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a sharp often poisonous wounding organ of an insect, snake, nettle, etc. 2 a the act of inflicting a wound with this. b the wound itself or the pain caused by it. 3 a wounding or painful quality or effect (the sting of hunger; stings of remorse). 4 pungency, sharpness, vigour (a sting in the voice). 5 sl. a swindle or robbery. --v. (past and past part. stung) 1 a tr. wound or pierce with a sting. b intr. be able to sting; have a sting. 2 intr. & tr. feel or cause to feel a tingling physical or sharp mental pain. 3 tr. (foll. by into) incite by a strong or painful mental effect (was stung into replying). 4 tr. sl. swindle or charge exorbitantly. Phrases and idioms: stinging-nettle a nettle, Urtica dioica, having stinging hairs. sting in the tail unexpected pain or difficulty at the end. Derivatives: stingingly adv. stingless adj. stinglike adj. Etymology: OE sting (n.), stingan (v.), f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sting Sting, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stung(Archaic Stang); p. pr. & vb. n. Stinging.] [AS. stingan; akin to Icel. & Sw. stinga, Dan. stinge, and probably to E. stick, v.t.; cf. Goth. usstiggan to put out, pluck out. Cf. Stick, v. t.] 1. To pierce or wound with a sting; as, bees will sting an animal that irritates them; the nettles stung his hands. 2. To pain acutely; as, the conscience is stung with remorse; to bite. ``Slander stings the brave.'' --Pope. 3. To goad; to incite, as by taunts or reproaches.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sting Sting, n. [AS. sting a sting. See Sting, v. t.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) Any sharp organ of offense and defense, especially when connected with a poison gland, and adapted to inflict a wound by piercing; as the caudal sting of a scorpion. The sting of a bee or wasp is a modified ovipositor. The caudal sting, or spine, of a sting ray is a modified dorsal fin ray. The term is sometimes applied to the fang of a serpent. See Illust. of Scorpion. 2. (Bot.) A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secrets an acrid fluid, as in nettles. The points of these hairs usually break off in the wound, and the acrid fluid is pressed into it. 3. Anything that gives acute pain, bodily or mental; as, the stings of remorse; the stings of reproach. The sting of death is sin. --1 Cor. xv. 56. 4. The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging. ``The lurking serpent's mortal sting.'' --Shak. 5. A goad; incitement. --Shak. 6. The point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying. Sting moth (Zo["o]l.), an Australian moth (Doratifera vulnerans) whose larva is armed, at each end of the body, with four tubercles bearing powerful stinging organs. Sting ray. (Zo["o]l.) See under 6th Ray. Sting winkle (Zo["o]l.), a spinose marine univalve shell of the genus Murex, as the European species (Murex erinaceus). See Illust. of Murex.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stings, stinging, stung) 1. If a plant, animal, or insect stings you, a sharp part of it, usually covered with poison, is pushed into your skin so that you feel a sharp pain. The nettles stung their legs... This type of bee rarely stings. VERB: V n, V 2. The sting of an insect or animal is the part that stings you. Remove the bee sting with tweezers. N-COUNT 3. If you feel a sting, you feel a sharp pain in your skin or other part of your body. This won't hurt–you will just feel a little sting. N-COUNT: usu sing 4. If a part of your body stings, or if a substance stings it, you feel a sharp pain there. His cheeks were stinging from the icy wind... Sprays can sting sensitive skin. VERB: V, V n 5. If someone's remarks sting you, they make you feel hurt and annoyed. He's a sensitive lad and some of the criticism has stung him... = hurt VERB: no cont, V n

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sting (parash, "to cut into"; kentron, "a goad," "spur"): A sharp, pointed organ or instrument for inflicting wounds by puncture; sting of an adder, Pr 23:32; of scorpions, Re 9:10. In the free quotation of 1Co 15:55 from Ho 13:14, death is personified as a deadly animal, like a scorpion or serpent, which inflicts destruction by means of sin as its kentron. It should also be remembered that in Ac 26:14 the same Greek word is used with reference to an instrument for exciting fear, rather than death. Both figures are pertinent; for death is powerless, except through sin, and, also, when sin is vanquished, the fear of death (Heb 2:15) is gone.

H. E. Jacobs

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Prick, wound, hurt. 2. Afflict, pain, cut to the quick, go to one's heart. II. n. Prick, act of stinging.

Moby Thesaurus

acerbity, acidity, acridity, acrimony, aculeus, acuminate, acumination, affect, afflict, affront, aggrieve, agonize, ail, anguish, astringency, auger, barb the dart, be keen, beat, beesting, beguile of, bilk, bit, bite, bite the tongue, bitterness, bleed, bleed white, borer, bristle with, bruise, bunco, burn, burning, burning pain, buzz, causticity, chafe, cheat, chisel, chouse, chouse out of, clip, cog, cog the dice, come home to, con, convulse, cozen, crib, crucify, cusp, cut, cut up, dart, defraud, diddle, distress, do in, do out of, drill, edge, euchre, excruciate, exploit, fang, fester, fierceness, finagle, fire, flam, fleece, flimflam, flog, fob, fret, fudge, gad, gadfly, gall, give offense, give pain, give umbrage, gnaw, go deep, go through one, goad, gouge, grate, grieve, grind, grip, gripe, gull, gyp, harrow, harshness, have, have an edge, hocus, hocus-pocus, hold up, hurt, hurt the feelings, inflame, inflict pain, injure, irritate, itch, keenness, kill by inches, lacerate, lash, martyr, martyrize, melt, melt the heart, mordacity, mordancy, move, mucro, mulct, neb, needle, nettle, nib, nip, nudge, offend, outrage, overcharge, overprice, overtax, oxgoad, pack the deal, pain, paresthesia, penetrate, pierce, pigeon, pinch, pins and needles, poignancy, point, poke, practice fraud upon, prick, prickle, prickles, prickling, prod, profiteer, prolong the agony, put to torture, rack, rankle, rasp, rigor, rip off, rob, rook, roughness, rowel, rub, scam, scratch, screw, sell gold bricks, severity, sharpness, shave, shortchange, skin, smart, smarting, snakebite, soak, soften, spur, stab, stack the cards, stick, stimulate, stinger, stinging, stir, stridency, stringency, surcharge, swindle, take a dive, tang, tartness, teeth, thimblerig, thrill, throw a fight, tingle, tingling, tip, torment, torture, touch, touch a chord, trenchancy, tweak, twist, twist the knife, urtication, vehemence, victimize, violence, virulence, whip, whiplash, wound, wring