From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstingsting1 /stɪŋ/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle stung /stʌŋ/) 1 [intransitive, transitive]HBIHURT/CAUSE PAIN if an insect or a plant stings you, it makes a very small hole in your skin and you feel a sharp pain because of a poisonous substance He was stung by a bee. ► A bee, wasp, scorpion, or plant can sting you. For a mosquito or snake, use bite.► see thesaurus at bite2 [intransitive, transitive]HURT/CAUSE PAIN to make something hurt with a sudden sharp pain, or to hurt like this Antiseptic stings a little. Chopping onions makes my eyes sting.► see thesaurus at hurt3 [intransitive, transitive]UPSET if you are stung by a remark, it makes you feel upset Their criticism really stung.be stung into (doing) something Her harsh words stung him into action.Grammar Sting is usually passive in this meaning, when used as a transitive verb. → sting somebody for something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sting• The paper cut on my finger really stings.• The smoke made our eyes sting.• Though not as deadly as the sea wasp, this jellyfish can cause severe irritation if it stings a human.• Henry was stung by a bee at the picnic.• Returning to the jungle he finds he has to kill Lowery who has been stung by a Varga.• Lathan was stung by the senator's harsh criticism.• Gabby felt tears sting her eyes, suddenly realizing the full force of what was happening.• If it had been anyone but a Ryan ... She felt tears of frustration stinging her eyes.• Cigarette smoke stings my eyes.• The smoke stung my eyes.• He concludes that the mist is a vapor which stings the skin of man.• His cheek stung where his mother had slapped him.be stung into (doing) something• Her harsh words stung him into action.• Besides, I thought it might sting you into giving me something on the Mallenders.• Had they stung Bristol into raising a game dampened by unremitting drizzle they might have suffered more.• It often stings a man into awareness, which is partly why he fears the feminine so much.• Maybe Ray Floyd stung him into action too.• Perhaps he was just young enough to bounce back, perhaps Oasis stung him into action.• The kind of electric jab that stings you into pulling your tentacles back fast.• The two men went out, letting a blast of stinging air into the trailer.stingsting2 ●●○ noun 1 wound [countable]HBIHURT/CAUSE PAIN a wound or mark made when an insect or plant stings you a bee sting2 insect [countable] British EnglishHBAHBI the sharp needle-shaped part of an insect’s or animal’s body, with which it stings you SYN stinger American English3 pain [singular]HURT/CAUSE PAIN a sharp pain in your eyes or skin, caused by being hit, by smoke etc She felt the sting of tears in her eyes.4 → a sting in the tail5 [singular] the upsetting or bad effect of a situation the sting of rejectiontake the sting out of something (=make something less unpleasant or painful) She smiled to take the sting out of her words.6 crime [countable] a clever way of catching criminals in which the police secretly pretend to be criminals themselvesExamples from the Corpus
sting• And not much chance of Fishy learning enough of the local lingo to set up a sting like this.• The bee sting had left a red mark on my arm.• Only afterward, on the hike back to the parking lot, did I begin to feel the sting of Red Disaster.• Walking from the taxi to his apartment, Ross had felt the sting and throb in his face for the first time.• Even ten years later, he felt the sting of the rebuke, the motive for which he still fails to understand.• I had never felt the sting of discrimination before.• I still felt the sting of her slap on my cheek.• Passage of the bill would ease some of the sting that the White House has felt since its initiative failed.bee sting• For most people, the reaction to a bee sting is swelling and pain.• That is only a fraction of the numbers killed by bee stings.• For a human being a wasp or bee sting is always painful, but not necessarily serious.• Fire officials said bee stings and poison oak were the most serious problems.take the sting out of something• Leaders also encourage creativity when they take the sting out of failure.StingSting (1951–) a British songwriter, singer, and actor who used to sing with the pop group The Police until they separated, and has worked successfully on his own since then. His songs include Don’t Stand So Close to Me (1981) and If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (1993). He is also known for his work to protect the environment. His real name is Gordon Sumner.From Longman Business Dictionarystingsting /stɪŋ/ verb (past tense and past participle stung /stʌŋ/) → sting somebody for something→ See Verb tableOrigin sting1 Old English stingan 