plural stingers
1
: one that stings
specifically
: a sharp blow or remark
2
: a sharp organ (as of a bee, scorpion, or stingray) that is usually connected with a poison gland or otherwise adapted to wound by piercing and injecting a poison
3
: a cocktail usually consisting of brandy and white crème de menthe
4
medical
: a usually sports-related injury of the brachial plexus marked by a painful burning sensation that radiates from the neck down the arm and is often accompanied by weakness or numbness of the affected area
Arrington had missed the second quarter with a concussion and a stinger that left him, momentarily, without feeling in his left arm.—
Peter King
Peter Kingcalled also burner
5
: a short scene that appears during or after the closing credits of a movie or TV program
And don't walk out of said theater too fast either; the credits offer two stingers, one points the way toward a new comic franchise, another includes an escaped space monster.—D. J. Palladino
D. J. PalladinoExamples of stinger in a Sentence
the stinger of a bee
in the eighth round he delivered a stinger that knocked his opponent flat
Recent Examples on the Web
Rather than neatly setting up the future, these post-credits scenes come across as possible options the MCU could revisit, not an actual plan like the earlier stingers.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 24 July 2025
As teased in the stinger of the first trailer, Chris, once again in tighty-whiteys, opens a second door within the Quantum Unfolding Chamber and runs into… his doppelgänger.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 18 July 2025
If a wasp does sting you, Texas Parks and Wildlife suggests the following:
Remove the stinger.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2025
Charlize Theron popped up in the stinger for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, never to be seen again.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stinger
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James Grebey, Vulture, 24 July 2025
As teased in the stinger of the first trailer, Chris, once again in tighty-whiteys, opens a second door within the Quantum Unfolding Chamber and runs into… his doppelgänger.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 18 July 2025
If a wasp does sting you, Texas Parks and Wildlife suggests the following:
Remove the stinger.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2025
Charlize Theron popped up in the stinger for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, never to be seen again.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stinger
Cite this Entry
“Stinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stinger. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stinger
noun
sting·er
ˈstiŋ-ər 
1
: one that stings
especially
: a piercing blow or remark
2
: a sharp organ of some animals (as bees or scorpions) that is used to wound, paralyze, or kill prey or an enemy by piercing and injecting a poisonous fluid
Medical Definition
stinger
noun
sting·er
ˈstiŋ-ər
1
: a sharp organ (as of a wasp, bee, scorpion, or stingray) that is usually connected with a poison gland or otherwise adapted to wound by piercing and injecting a poison
2
: a usually sports-related injury of the brachial plexus marked by a painful burning sensation that radiates from the neck down the arm and is often accompanied by weakness or numbness of the affected area
called also burner
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