sting


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sting

 (stĭng)
v. stung (stŭng), sting·ing, stings
v.tr.
1. To pierce or wound painfully with a sharp-pointed structure or organ, as that of certain insects.
2. To cause to feel a sharp, smarting pain: smoke stinging our eyes.
3. To cause to suffer keenly in the mind or feelings: Those harsh words stung me.
4. To spur on or stimulate by sharp irritation: "A meaningless retort; the kind someone is stung into making out of sheer exasperation" (Paul Scott).
5. Slang To cheat or overcharge.
v.intr.
1. To have, use, or wound with a sharp-pointed structure or organ: Do all bees sting?
2. To cause a sharp, smarting pain: The needle will sting a little.
n.
1. The act of stinging.
2. The wound or pain caused by stinging.
3. A sharp, piercing organ or part, often ejecting a venomous secretion, as the modified ovipositor of a bee or wasp or the spine of certain fishes.
4. A hurtful quality or power: the sting of rejection.
5. A keen stimulus or incitement; a goad or spur: the sting of curiosity.
6. Slang A confidence game, especially one implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals.

[Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan; see stegh- in Indo-European roots.]

sting′ing·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sting

(stɪŋ)
vb, stings, stinging or stung
1. (Biology) (of certain animals and plants) to inflict a wound on (an organism) by the injection of poison
2. to feel or cause to feel a sharp mental or physical pain
3. (tr) to goad or incite (esp in the phrase sting into action)
4. (tr) informal to cheat, esp by overcharging
n
5. (Pathology) a skin wound caused by the poison injected by certain insects or plants
6. (Pathology) pain caused by or as if by the sting of a plant or animal
7. a mental pain or pang: a sting of conscience.
8. (Zoology) a sharp pointed organ, such as the ovipositor of a wasp, by which poison can be injected into the prey
9. the ability to sting: a sharp sting in his criticism.
10. something as painful or swift of action as a sting: the sting of death.
11. a sharp stimulus or incitement
12. (Botany) botany another name for stinging hair
13. slang a swindle or fraud
14. (Law) slang a trap set up by the police to entice a person to commit a crime and thereby produce evidence
15. sting in the tail an unexpected and unpleasant ending
[Old English stingan; related to Old Norse stinga to pierce, Gothic usstangan to pluck out, Greek stakhus ear of corn]
ˈstinging adj
ˈstingingly adv
ˈstingingness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sting

(stɪŋ)

v. stung, sting•ing,
n. v.t.
1. to prick or wound with a sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organ.
2. to affect painfully or irritatingly as a result of contact, as certain plants do.
3. to cause to smart or to feel a sharp pain.
4. to cause mental or moral anguish.
5. to goad or drive, as by sharp irritation.
6. Slang. to cheat or take advantage of, esp. to overcharge; soak.
v.i.
7. to use, have, or wound with a sting, as bees.
8. to cause a sharp, smarting pain.
9. to cause or feel acute mental pain or irritation: The memory of that insult still stings.
10. to feel a smarting pain, as from a blow or the sting of an insect.
n.
11. an act or an instance of stinging.
12. a wound, pain, or smart caused by stinging.
13. any sharp physical or mental wound, hurt, or pain.
14. anything or an element in anything that wounds, pains, or irritates.
15. capacity to wound or pain: Satire has a sting.
16. a sharp stimulus or incitement.
17. any of various sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organs of insects or other animals.
18. Slang.
b. an ostensibly illegal operation, as the buying of stolen goods, used by undercover investigators to collect evidence of wrongdoing.
[before 900; Old English stingan, c. Old Norse stinga to pierce]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

sting

bite
1. 'sting'

Sting is usually a verb. Its past tense and -ed participle is stung.

If a creature such as a bee, wasp, or scorpion stings you, it pricks your skin and pushes poison into your body.

Bees do not normally sting without being provoked.
Felipe had been stung by a wasp.
2. 'bite'

Don't say that a mosquito or ant 'stings' you. You say that it bites you. The past tense and -ed participle of bite are bit and bitten.

A mosquito landed on my arm and bit me.
An ant had bitten her on the foot.

You also say that a snake bites you.

In Britain you are very unlikely to get bitten by a snake.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

sting


Past participle: stung
Gerund: stinging

Imperative
sting
sting
Present
I sting
you sting
he/she/it stings
we sting
you sting
they sting
Preterite
I stung
you stung
he/she/it stung
we stung
you stung
they stung
Present Continuous
I am stinging
you are stinging
he/she/it is stinging
we are stinging
you are stinging
they are stinging
Present Perfect
I have stung
you have stung
he/she/it has stung
we have stung
you have stung
they have stung
Past Continuous
I was stinging
you were stinging
he/she/it was stinging
we were stinging
you were stinging
they were stinging
Past Perfect
I had stung
you had stung
he/she/it had stung
we had stung
you had stung
they had stung
Future
I will sting
you will sting
he/she/it will sting
we will sting
you will sting
they will sting
Future Perfect
I will have stung
you will have stung
he/she/it will have stung
we will have stung
you will have stung
they will have stung
Future Continuous
I will be stinging
you will be stinging
he/she/it will be stinging
we will be stinging
you will be stinging
they will be stinging
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been stinging
you have been stinging
he/she/it has been stinging
we have been stinging
you have been stinging
they have been stinging
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been stinging
you will have been stinging
he/she/it will have been stinging
we will have been stinging
you will have been stinging
they will have been stinging
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been stinging
you had been stinging
he/she/it had been stinging
we had been stinging
you had been stinging
they had been stinging
Conditional
I would sting
you would sting
he/she/it would sting
we would sting
you would sting
they would sting
Past Conditional
I would have stung
you would have stung
he/she/it would have stung
we would have stung
you would have stung
they would have stung
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.sting - a kind of painsting - a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung; "the sting of death"; "he felt the stinging of nettles"
hurting, pain - a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; "the patient developed severe pain and distension"
2.sting - a mental pain or distress; "a pang of conscience"
hurting, pain - a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; "the patient developed severe pain and distension"
3.sting - a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skinsting - a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin
harm, hurt, injury, trauma - any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
bee sting - a sting inflicted by a bee
flea bite - sting inflicted by a flea
mosquito bite - a sting inflicted by a mosquito
4.sting - a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property
sting operation - a complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care (especially an operation implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals)
swindle, cheat, rig - the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme; "that book is a fraud"
Verb1.sting - cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfortsting - cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort; "The sun burned his face"
nettle, urticate - sting with or as with nettles and cause a stinging pain or sensation
burn - feel hot or painful; "My eyes are burning"
hurt, smart, ache - be the source of pain
2.sting - deliver a sting tosting - deliver a sting to; "A bee stung my arm yesterday"
pierce - make a hole into; "The needle pierced her flesh"
3.sting - saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous; "They stuck me with the dinner bill"; "I was stung with a huge tax bill"
force, thrust - impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably; "She forced her diet fads on him"
4.sting - cause a stinging painsting - cause a stinging pain; "The needle pricked his skin"
ache, hurt, suffer - feel physical pain; "Were you hurting after the accident?"
prickle, prick - cause a prickling sensation
5.sting - cause an emotional pain, as if by stinging; "His remark stung her"
spite, bruise, injure, offend, hurt - hurt the feelings of; "She hurt me when she did not include me among her guests"; "This remark really bruised my ego"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

sting

verb
1. hurt, burn, wound, nip, prick, bite The nettles stung their legs.
2. smart, burn, pain, hurt, tingle His cheeks were stinging from the icy wind.
3. anger, provoke, infuriate, incense, gall, inflame, nettle, rile, pique Some of the criticism has really stung him.
noun
1. prick, injury, wound, puncture Remove the bee sting with tweezers.
2. smarting, pain, stinging, pricking, soreness, prickling This won't hurt - you will just feel a little sting.
3. fraud, swindle, cheat, trickery, sharp practice, piece of deception a sting set by the FBI
4. sharpness, spite, bite, punch, severity, sarcasm, acrimony, mordancy The sting of those words had festered in Roderick's mind.
Related words
fear cnidophobia
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sting

verb
1. To cause to become sore or inflamed:
2. To feel or cause to feel a sensation of heat or discomfort:
3. Slang. To get money or something else from by deceitful trickery:
Informal: chisel, flimflam, take, trim.
Slang: diddle, do, gyp, stick.
noun
1. A sensation of physical discomfort occurring as the result of disease or injury:
Informal: misery.
2. A cutting quality:
3. Informal. A stimulating or intoxicating effect:
Informal: punch, wallop.
Slang: kick.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إبْرَهلَدْغَةلَسْع، لَدْغلَسْعَهيُصيب بألَم حاد
žihadlobodnutípálitpopálitštípanec
brodstikkesviehårstik
pistääpistopurrapattipaukama
ubodubosti
csípégszúr
broddurstingastungastunga; flugnabitsvíîa
刺し傷刺す刺傷虫さされ食う
쏘다
įgelti
dzēliensdzelonisdzeltdzēlumsgrauzt
žihadlo
dotik meduzedražitipičitipikželo
stingsvida
แผลถูกแมลงกัดต่อยกัด ต่อย
đốtvết đốt

sting

[stɪŋ] (stung (vb: pt, pp))
A. N
1. (Zool, Bot) (= organ) → aguijón m
but there's a sting in the tailpero viene algo no tan agradable al final
2. (= act, wound) [of insect, nettle] → picadura f; (= sharp pain) → punzada f
a sting of remorseel gusanillo de la conciencia
the sting of the rain in one's faceel azote de la lluvia en la cara
I felt the sting of his ironysu ironía me hirió en lo vivo
to take the sting out of sthrestar fuerza a algo
3. (esp US) (= confidence trick) → timo m
B. VT
1. [insect, nettle] → picar; (= make smart) → escocer, picar, arder (esp LAm); [hail] → azotar
2. (fig) [conscience] → remorder; [remark, criticism] → herir
my conscience stung meme remordió la conciencia
the reply stung him to the quickla respuesta lo hirió en lo vivo
he was clearly stung by this remarkera evidente que este comentario hizo mella en él
3. (= provoke) he was stung into actionlo provocaron a actuar
4. they stung me for four poundsme clavaron cuatro libras
how much did they sting you for?¿cuánto te clavaron?
C. VI
1. [insect etc] → picar
moths don't stinglas mariposas no pican
2. my eyes stingme pican los ojos
that blow really stungese golpe me dolió de verdad
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sting

[ˈstɪŋ]
vb [stung] [ˈstʌŋ] (pt, pp)
vt
[insect, plant] → piquer
I've been stung → J'ai été piqué.
[ointment, smoke, tears] → piquer
[remark, criticism, harsh words] → piquer au vif
vi
[insect, plant] → piquer
[ointment, iodine] → piquer
[blow, slap] → être cuisant(e)
[eyes, skin, cut] → piquer
My eyes are stinging → J'ai les yeux qui piquent.
n
(= organ) → dard m
This is not a worker bee, it has no sting → Ce n'est pas une abeille ouvrière, elle n'a pas de dard.
(= wound) → piqûre f
Bee stings can be painful → Les piqûres d'abeilles peuvent être douloureuses.
(= pain) → piqûre f
This won't hurt, you'll just feel a little sting → Cela ne fera pas mal, vous sentirez juste une petite piqûre.
(= confidence trick) → arnaque m
(also sting operation) (= set-up) → mise fen scène, guet-apens m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

sting

vb: pret, ptp <stung>
n
(Zool, Bot: = organ, of insect) → Stachel m; (of jellyfish)Brennfaden m; (of nettle)Brennhaar nt
(of insect: = act, wound) → Stich m; (of nettle, jellyfish, = act) → Brennen nt; (= wound)Quaddel f
(= pain, from needle etc) → Stechen nt, → stechender Schmerz; (of antiseptic, ointment, from nettle etc)Brennen nt; (of whip)brennender Schmerz; there might be a bit of a stingdas brennt jetzt vielleicht ein bisschen; we felt the sting of the hail on our faceswir spürten den Hagel wie Nadeln im Gesicht
(fig, of remark, irony) → Stachel m; (of attack, criticism etc)Schärfe f; a sting of remorseGewissensbisse pl; to take the sting out of somethingetw entschärfen; (out of remark, criticism also) → einer Sache (dat)den Stachel nehmen; to have a sting in its tail (story, film) → ein unerwartet fatales Ende nehmen; (remark) → gesalzen sein; death, where now thy sting?Tod, wo ist dein Stachel?
vt
(insect) → stechen; (jellyfish) → verbrennen; she was stung by the nettlessie hat sich an den Nesseln verbrannt
the hail stung our facesder Hagel stach uns wie mit Nadeln im Gesicht
(comments, sarcasm etc) → treffen, schmerzen; (remorse, conscience) → quälen; he was stung by their insultsihre Beleidigungen haben ihn sehr getroffen or geschmerzt; to sting somebody into doing somethingjdn antreiben, etw zu tun; he was stung into replyinger ließ sich dazu hinreißen zu antworten; to sting somebody into actionjdn aktiv werden lassen
(inf) to sting somebody for somethingjdn bei etw ausnehmen (inf)or schröpfen (inf); could I sting you for a fiver?kann ich dir einen Fünfer abknöpfen? (inf)
vi
(insect)stechen; (nettle, jellyfish etc) → brennen; (= burn: eyes, cut, ointment etc) → brennen; smoke makes your eyes stingRauch brennt in den Augen
(hail etc)wie mit Nadeln stechen
(comments, sarcasm etc)schmerzen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sting

[stɪŋ] (stung (vb: pt, pp))
1. n (Zool) → pungiglione m (Bot) → pelo urticante; (pain, mark) → puntura; (of iodine, antiseptic) → bruciore m
to take the sting out of sth (fig) → rendere qc meno pungente
but there was a sting in the tail (fig) → ma c'era una spiacevole sorpresa
2. vt
a. (subj, insect, nettle) → pungere; (jellyfish) → pizzicare; (iodine) → bruciare; (cold wind) → tagliare (fig) (remark, criticism) → pungere sul vivo
he was stung into action → fu spronato all'azione
she was stung by remorse → fu presa dal rimorso
b. (fam) they stung me for £40mi hanno scucito 40 sterline
3. vi (iodine) → bruciare; (remark, criticism) → ferire
my eyes are stinging → mi bruciano gli occhi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

sting

(stiŋ) noun
1. a part of some plants, insects etc, eg nettles and wasps, that can prick and inject an irritating or poisonous fluid into the wound.
2. an act of piercing with this part. Some spiders give a poisonous sting.
3. the wound, swelling, or pain caused by this. You can soothe a wasp sting by putting vinegar on it.
verbpast tense, past participle stung (staŋ)
1. to wound or hurt by means of a sting. The child was badly stung by nettles/mosquitoes; Do those insects sting?
2. (of a wound, or a part of the body) to smart or be painful. The salt water made his eyes sting.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

sting

لَدْغَة, يَلْدَغُ štípnout, žihadlo brod, stikke stechen, Stichwunde κεντρί, κεντρίζω aguijón, picar pistää, pisto piquer, piqûre ubod, ubosti pungere, puntura 刺し傷, 刺す 쏘다, 침 angel, steken stikk, stikke użądlić, żądło ferrão, picada, picar жалить, укус (насекомого) sting, svida แผลถูกแมลงกัดต่อย, กัด ต่อย iğne, sokmak đốt, vết đốt , 刺痛
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

sting

n. picadura;
bee- ___picadura de abeja;
wasp ______ de avispa.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

sting

n (pain) dolor m, dolor agudo y repentino; (of an insect) picadura; bee — picadura de abeja; vt (pret & pp stung) picar; vi doler; The numbing medication will sting a little bit..El anestésico le va a doler un poco.
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Blood they would have from thee in all innocence; blood their bloodless souls crave for--and they sting, therefore, in all innocence.
I see thee deafened with the noise of the great men, and stung all over with the stings of the little ones.
With this exclamation, the most frequent in his mouth, the unfortunate man clutched both hands upon his breast as if an intolerable sting or torture impelled him to rend it open and let out the living mischief, even should it be intertwined with his own life.
Did he sting, when you thought of your brother's health, wealth, and good repute?
As I was picking up a skin that lay upon the ground, I was stung by a serpent that left his sting in my finger; I at least picked an extraneous substance about the bigness of a hair out of the wound, which I imagined was the sting.
"Go to the strangers and sting them to death!" commanded the Witch, and the bees turned and flew rapidly until they came to where Dorothy and her friends were walking.
"Take out my straw and scatter it over the little girl and the dog and the Lion," he said to the Woodman, "and the bees cannot sting them." This the Woodman did, and as Dorothy lay close beside the Lion and held Toto in her arms, the straw covered them entirely.
But the willow-wren sent down the hornet, with orders to settle beneath the fox's tail, and sting with all his might.
The tact and skill which suffice to avert a Woman's sting are unequal to the task of stopping a Woman's mouth; and as the wife has absolutely nothing to say, and absolutely no constraint of wit, sense, or conscience to prevent her from saying it, not a few cynics have been found to aver that they prefer the danger of the death-dealing but inaudible sting to the safe sonorousness of a Woman's other end.
Frightful jaws in front and mighty, poisoned sting behind made my relatively puny long-sword seem a pitiful weapon of defense indeed.
And still they remain in the city; there they are, ready to sting and fully armed, and some of them owe money, some have forfeited their citizenship; a third class are in both predicaments; and they hate and conspire against those who have got their property, and against everybody else, and are eager for revolution.
When you made me do it that time I was picking stings out of myself for a week.'