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Definition of sting verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

sting

verb
 
/stɪŋ/
 
/stɪŋ/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they sting
 
/stɪŋ/
 
/stɪŋ/
he / she / it stings
 
/stɪŋz/
 
/stɪŋz/
past simple stung
 
/stʌŋ/
 
/stʌŋ/
past participle stung
 
/stʌŋ/
 
/stʌŋ/
-ing form stinging
 
/ˈstɪŋɪŋ/
 
/ˈstɪŋɪŋ/
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  1. [transitive, intransitive] sting (somebody/something) (of an insect or plant) to touch your skin or make a very small hole in it so that you feel a sharp pain
    • I was stung on the arm by a wasp.
    • Be careful of the nettles—they sting!
    Topics Health problemsb2, Insects, worms, etc.b2
  2. [intransitive, transitive] to feel, or to make somebody feel, a sharp pain in a part of their body
    • I put some antiseptic on the cut and it stung for a moment.
    • My eyes were stinging from the smoke.
    • sting something Tears stung her eyes.
    Synonyms hurthurtache ▪ burn ▪ sting ▪ tingle ▪ itch ▪ throbThese are all words that can be used when part of your body feels painful.hurt (of part of your body) to feel painful; (of an action) to cause pain:
    • My feet hurt.
    • Ouch! That hurt!
    ache to feel a continuous pain that is not severe:
    • I’m aching all over.
    burn (of part of your body) to feel very hot and painful:
    • Our eyes were burning from the chemicals in the air.
    sting to make somebody feel a sharp burning pain or uncomfortable feeling in part of their body; (of part of your body) to feel this pain:
    • My eyes were stinging from the smoke.
    tingle (of part of your body) to feel as if a lot of small sharp points are pushing into the skin there:
    • The cold air made her face tingle.
    itch to have an uncomfortable feeling on your skin that makes you want to scratch; to make your skin feel like this:
    • I itch all over.
    • Does the rash itch?
    throb (of part of your body) to feel pain as a series of regular beats:
    • His head throbbed painfully.
    Patterns
    • your eyes hurt/​ache/​burn/​sting/​itch
    • your skin hurts/​burns/​stings/​tingles/​itches
    • your flesh hurts/​burns/​stings/​tingles
    • your head hurts/​aches/​throbs
    • your stomach hurts/​aches
    • to really hurt/​ache/​burn/​sting/​tingle/​itch/​throb
    • to hurt/​ache/​sting/​itch badly/​a lot
    • It hurts/​stings/​tingles/​itches.
  3. [transitive] to make somebody feel angry or upset
    • sting somebody He was stung by their criticism.
    • They launched a stinging attack on the government.
    • sting somebody to/into something Their cruel remarks stung her into action.
    • sting somebody into doing something He was stung into answering in his defence.
    Extra Examples
    • He was stung into making a cheap retort.
    • Taunts from the fans stung him into his best performance of the season.
    Topics Feelingsc2
  4. [transitive, often passive] sting somebody (for something) (informal) to charge somebody more money than they expected; to charge somebody who did not expect to pay
    • I got stung for a £100 meal.
    • How much did they sting you for?
  5. sting somebody for something (British English, informal) to borrow money from somebody
    • Can I sting you for a couple of pounds?
    6. Word OriginOld English sting (noun), stingan (verb), of Germanic origin.
See sting in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: sting

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trait
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