sting (st?ng)v. stung (st?ng), sting·ing, stings v.tr.1. To pierce or wound painfully with a sharp-pointed structure or organ, as that of certain insects.2. To cause to feel a sharp, smarting pain: smoke stinging our eyes.3. To cause to suffer keenly in the mind or feelings: Those harsh words stung me.4. To spur on or stimulate by sharp irritation: “A meaningless retort; the kind someone is stung into making out of sheer exasperation” (Paul Scott).5. Slang To cheat or overcharge.v.intr.1. To have, use, or wound with a sharp-pointed structure or organ: Do all bees sting?2. To cause a sharp, smarting pain: The needle will sting a little.n.1. The act of stinging.2. The wound or pain caused by stinging.3. A sharp, piercing organ or part, often ejecting a venomous secretion, as the modified ovipositor of a bee or wasp or the spine of certain fishes.4. A hurtful quality or power: the sting of rejection.5. A keen stimulus or incitement; a goad or spur: the sting of curiosity.6. Slang A confidence game, especially one implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals.[Middle English stingen, from Old English stingan; see stegh- in Indo-European roots.]sting?ing·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.sting (st??) vb, stings, stinging or stung1. (Biology) (of certain animals and plants) to inflict a wound on (an organism) by the injection of poison2. to feel or cause to feel a sharp mental or physical pain3. (tr) to goad or incite (esp in the phrase sting into action)4. (tr) informal to cheat, esp by overchargingn5. (Pathology) a skin wound caused by the poison injected by certain insects or plants6. (Pathology) pain caused by or as if by the sting of a plant or animal7. a mental pain or pang: a sting of conscience. 8. (Zoology) a sharp pointed organ, such as the ovipositor of a wasp, by which poison can be injected into the prey9. the ability to sting: a sharp sting in his criticism. 10. something as painful or swift of action as a sting: the sting of death. 11. a sharp stimulus or incitement12. (Botany) botany another name for stinging hair13. slang a swindle or fraud14. (Law) slang a trap set up by the police to entice a person to commit a crime and thereby produce evidence15. sting in the tail an unexpected and unpleasant ending[Old English stingan; related to Old Norse stinga to pierce, Gothic usstangan to pluck out, Greek stakhus ear of corn] ?stinging adj ?stingingly adv ?stingingness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014sting (st??) v. stung, sting?ing, n. v.t. 1. to prick or wound with a sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organ. 2. to affect painfully or irritatingly as a result of contact, as certain plants do. 3. to cause to smart or to feel a sharp pain. 4. to cause mental or moral anguish. 5. to goad or drive, as by sharp irritation. 6. Slang. to cheat or take advantage of, esp. to overcharge; soak. v.i. 7. to use, have, or wound with a sting, as bees. 8. to cause a sharp, smarting pain. 9. to cause or feel acute mental pain or irritation: The memory of that insult still stings. 10. to feel a smarting pain, as from a blow or the sting of an insect. n. 11. an act or an instance of stinging. 12. a wound, pain, or smart caused by stinging. 13. any sharp physical or mental wound, hurt, or pain. 14. anything or an element in anything that wounds, pains, or irritates. 15. capacity to wound or pain: Satire has a sting. 16. a sharp stimulus or incitement. 17. any of various sharp-pointed, often venom-bearing organs of insects or other animals. 18. Slang. a. confidence game. b. an ostensibly illegal operation, as the buying of stolen goods, used by undercover investigators to collect evidence of wrongdoing. [before 900; Old English stingan, c. Old Norse stinga to pierce] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.sting – bite1. ‘sting’Sting is usually a verb. Its past tense and -ed participle is stung.If a creature such as a bee, wasp, or scorpion stings you, it pricks your skin and pushes poison into your body.Don’t say that a mosquito or ant ‘stings’ you. You say that it bites you. The past tense and -ed participle of bite are bit and bitten.You also say that a snake bites you.