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• stinger
  stinger

  noun

  a person or thing that stings.
• Stinger
  Stinger

  noun

  a device, consisting of a long track of raised spikes, laid across a road by police to puncture the tyres of escaping vehicles

stinger

American  

[sting-er] / ˈstɪŋ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that stings.

2. an animal or plant having a stinging organ.

3. the sting or stinging organ of an insect or other animal.

4. Informal. a stinging blow, remark, or the like.

5. a cocktail made of brandy and crème de menthe.

6. Military. Stinger, a U.S. Army shoulder-launched, heat-seeking antiaircraft missile with a range of 3 miles (5 kilometers).

7. British Informal. a highball of whiskey and soda.

8. Television.

   1. a clip appearing during or after the closing credits of a show or movie.

      The next season’s new cast member appears briefly in the stinger.

   2. sting.

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stinger ¹ British  

/ ˈstɪŋə /

noun

1. a person, plant, animal, etc, that stings or hurts

2. any marine creature that stings its victims, esp the box jellyfish

3. Also: stengah.  a whisky and soda with crushed ice

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Stinger ² British  

/ ˈstɪŋə /

noun

1. a device, consisting of a long track of raised spikes, laid across a road by police to puncture the tyres of escaping vehicles

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stinger Scientific  

/ stĭng′ər /

1. A sharp stinging organ, such as that of a bee, scorpion, or stingray. Stingers usually inject venom.

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Etymology

Origin of stinger

First recorded in 1545–55; sting + -er ¹

Example Sentences

"If police want to speak to someone about their wellbeing, then you wouldn't have a helicopter and a stinger," she says.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

The stinger comes when Alfredo’s father convinces Violetta to leave his son to free the family from scandal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

When the stinger pierces the skin, “it can cause puncture wounds, injection of venom, and tissue damage, leading to pain, swelling, and occasionally secondary infection,” according to the state agency.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

Smaller than scorpions and lacking a stinger and tail, pseudoscorpions live in a range of habitats globally and are associated with a wide variety of parasitic organisms including nematodes.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

“If the cons don’t want to hit ’em over, it must not happen that much,” I say, catching Annie’s brand of stinger, which has a little curve on it.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko