sting
verb (used with object)
to prick or wound with a sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organ.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After the stinging rounds of layoffs, Kim said, the university expects to “significantly exceed” the roughly $30-million surplus he forecast for USC earlier this year during his state-of-the-university speech, though final numbers are pending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
For several days this summer the Albanian city of Elbasan choked in a dense cloud of stinging smoke coming from the direction of its notorious steelworks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Shazeer’s departure is especially stinging because Google parent Alphabet spent billions of dollars bringing him back to the company only two years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
However, nearly all of that pattern can be traced to one particular group: the aculeate Hymenoptera, which includes stinging wasps, bees and ants.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
I frowned at her, rubbing my stinging fingers as I shoved the piece of bread I’d been holding into my mouth before she commandeered it.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
