sting
(stɪŋ )
Word forms: stings , stinging , stung
1. verb
If a plant, animal, or insect stings you, a sharp part of it, usually covered with poison, is pushed into your skin so that you feel a sharp pain.
The nettles stung their legs. [VERB noun]
I jumped as if I had been stung by a scorpion. [VERB noun]
This type of bee rarely stings. [VERB]
Synonyms: hurt, burn, wound, nip
2. countable noun
The sting of an insect or animal is the part that stings you.
Remove the bee sting with tweezers.
Synonyms: prick, injury, wound, puncture
3. countable noun [usually singular]
If you feel a sting, you feel a sharp pain in your skin or other part of your body.
This won't hurt–you will just feel a little sting.
Synonyms: smarting, pain, stinging, pricking
4. verb
If a part of your body stings, or if a substance stings it, you feel a sharp pain there.
His cheeks were stinging from the icy wind. [VERB]
Never put any essential oils near the eyes. They are very strong and could sting. [VERB]
Sprays can sting sensitive skin. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: smart, burn, pain, hurt
5. verb [no cont]
If someone's remarks sting you, they make you feel hurt and annoyed.
He's a sensitive lad and some of the criticism has stung him. [VERB noun]
She burst into tears, stung by the harshness of his words. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: anger, provoke, infuriate, incense
stinging graded adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
...a stinging attack on the government's economic policy.
6. countable noun [oft NOUN noun]
A sting is a clever secret plan carried out by the police in order to catch criminals.
The police ran a sting operation to crack down on illegal guns.
...a sting set by the FBI.
Synonyms: fraud, swindle, cheat, trickery
7. a sting in the tail phrase [usually PHRASE after verb]
If an announcement or decision has a sting in the tail or a sting in its tail, it contains a critical and unpleasant part, normally at the end.
8. take the sting out of sth phrase [VERB inflects]
If something takes the sting out of a situation, it makes it less unpleasant.
Image of sting
© Irina Kozorog, Shutterstock
Idioms:
something has a sting in the tail [British]
said to mean that although a remark or proposal seems, initially, welcome or pleasing, it contains an unpleasant part at the end
The agreement had a sting in the tail. It said that the entire aid package would be suspended if the country did not make progress on the economic front.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
take the sting out of something
to make something less unpleasant or painful
The most serious situation can be viewed with humour and that always helps to take the sting out of hard facts.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
wasp sting
She was allergic to wasp stings and swelled up whenever she was stung.
GOING OUT (2002)
Divers have compared the sensation to that of a wasp sting, but it is possible that the toxin could inflict serious injury.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The treatment for a wasp sting is vinegar There's no scientific evidence behind this.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Translations:
Chinese: 刺痛, 刺
Japanese: 刺し傷, 刺す
- chieftain
- chief villain
- chief witness
- chiffon
- chiffon blouse
- chiffon dress
- chignon
- Chihuahua
- chihuahua
- chilblain
- child
- childbearing
- childbearing age
- child benefit
- childbirth
- childcare
- childcare arrangements
- child death
- child health
- childhood
- childhood ambition
- childhood bedroom
- childhood cancer
- childhood development
- childhood disease