sting
verb (used with object)
to prick or wound with a sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organ.
have stung
-
present perfectof sting.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
This time, Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion—a move that must have stung, since Oldham clerked for Alito 16 years earlier.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2025
Residents are being plagued by huge swarms of up to a million bees in their street that have stung "on numerous occasions" and left them fearful of opening a window.
From BBC ● May 20, 2025
The hacked officials included Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, whose agency imposed export controls that have stung multiple Chinese companies.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
As much as it might have stung, Thompson-Robinson agreed that the critique accurately depicted the unfulfilled promise of his first four years as a Bruin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2022
It must have stung smartly, but I didn’t feel a thing.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
