1
as in gouged
to charge (someone) too much for goods or services
a nightclub that's been stinging patrons for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
swindlers who sting unwary tourists by posing as officials demanding money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stung
The loss certainly stung for Maye.
—
Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
One pocket of tech that has faced a lot of pressure have been software firms, with the shares of companies like SAP, Salesforce, and ServiceNow all stung the last six months, as Reuters reports, because of rising fears that AI could disrupt their business models.
—John Kell, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
The ending of this game stung for the Sabres.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
For Avila, who helps lead a federation of Zacatecan migrant groups that over decades has raised tens of millions of dollars for public work projects back home, the whole thing stung of betrayal.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Grejo sank scowling back into his chair as though stung by Adi’s answer.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
His sarcasm stung almost daily, but the winning followed weekly.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
If someone gets stung, they're advised to notify a lifeguard and immerse the area in hot water to reduce pain.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Trump’s words will have stung for two reasons.
—Luke McGee, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
One pocket of tech that has faced a lot of pressure have been software firms, with the shares of companies like SAP, Salesforce, and ServiceNow all stung the last six months, as Reuters reports, because of rising fears that AI could disrupt their business models.
—John Kell, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
The ending of this game stung for the Sabres.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
For Avila, who helps lead a federation of Zacatecan migrant groups that over decades has raised tens of millions of dollars for public work projects back home, the whole thing stung of betrayal.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Grejo sank scowling back into his chair as though stung by Adi’s answer.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
His sarcasm stung almost daily, but the winning followed weekly.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
If someone gets stung, they're advised to notify a lifeguard and immerse the area in hot water to reduce pain.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Trump’s words will have stung for two reasons.
—Luke McGee, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stung
Verb
-
Scheffler pushed his drive into the right fairway bunker on the par-4, could only advance the ball 54 yards into the left rough and gouged his third shot short of the green.—
John Marshall,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
-
After getting gouged repeatedly by bootleg play-action passes, screens and space plays over their first two series, the Pats struck back with a short-yardage stop and forced fumble on the next two series.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
McMann hunted, but never cheated, for offence.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In an ecosystem squeezed by the brutal economics of streaming and the continuing struggles of the theatrical model, far too many worthy films go unsold and unseen.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Tens of billions of dollars in corporate loans are likely to default over the next year as companies, especially software and data services firms owned by private equity, get squeezed by the AI threat, Mish said in a Wednesday research note.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of swift passage on Wednesday, the proposal has become a new flashpoint in a sensitive discussion over police-community relations, with some event organizers questioning why community groups who feel overcharged by the police should have to appeal to the same department for subsidies.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The lawsuit alleges diabetic Iowans have been overcharged millions of dollars a year and cut off from affordable insulin.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Over at Azur on Luminara, the menu reinvents itself every two days to mirror the port of call, like someone plucked the best taverna dishes off the coast and casually plated them in front of you.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
-
This is ideal for decades of sliding across the ice, because bigger mineral grains are more likely to get plucked out by the ice, leaving holes in the surface that could cause unpredictable behavior.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Which is why, in an America torn apart by gaping ideological, racial and wealth divides, the proud puertorriqueño Grammy winner nailed it today by transforming the cavernous concrete Santa Clara stadium into a sweat soaked San Juan nightclub for 13 hip-shaking minutes.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 Feb. 2026
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People sat on curbs, alleyway after alleyway, their meager belongings soaked by the previous night’s hard rain.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His attacker, the man in black, was hustled off the stage.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
As the lights came up, Taylor had already been hustled out, as had Arnaud.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The crucial employment snapshot is slightly delayed because of the brief government shutdown and will show whether the trajectory improved for the US labor market, which has been stuck in a low-hire and low-fire lull.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, a high-speed rail proposal between Dallas and Fort Worth is stuck in limbo, stemming from objections to where a route would connect in Dallas, per KERA.—
Sasha Richie,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stung. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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