Dictionary definition · sting
noun
- a kind of pain; something as sudden and painful as being stung"the sting of death"
- a mental pain or distress"a pang of conscience"
- a painful wound caused by the thrust of an insect's stinger into skin
- a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property
- operation designed to catch a person committing a criminal act"the police conducted a sting operation"
verb
- cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort"The sun burned his face"
- deliver a sting to"A bee stung my arm yesterday"
- saddle with something disagreeable or disadvantageous"They stuck me with the dinner bill"
- cause a stinging pain"The needle pricked his skin"
- cause an emotional pain, as if by stinging"His remark stung her"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).