STING
What does "STING" mean?
To wound or pierce with a sharp-pointed organ, as a bee or nettle does.
Meanings
- To pierce or wound with a venomous or sharp organ. A wasp stung him on the wrist.
- To cause a sharp smarting pain or burning sensation. The antiseptic stung the cut.
- To hurt emotionally; to wound the feelings. Her offhand remark stung more than she meant it to.
- The act of stinging or the sharp organ that delivers it. A scorpion's sting can be dangerous.
- An elaborate undercover operation to catch wrongdoers. Police arrested the dealers in a carefully planned sting. informal
Did you know?
- A worker honeybee can sting a human only once: the barbed stinger anchors in the skin and rips loose, which is fatal to the bee.
Word origin
From Old English 'stingan' (to prick, stab, or thrust), from a Proto-Germanic root related to piercing.
Remember it
STING ends in the same -ING buzz a wasp makes right before it does exactly that.
A little poem
One barb, given once-
the bee spends its only life
to teach you 'too close.'
haiku
Wordplay
- The undercover cop got bitten by a bee mid-operation. Two stings, one afternoon - he didn't know which one was the bigger setup.
What it teaches
Some defences cost the defender everything - a single sting can be a whole life spent on one warning.
Quick facts
What does STING mean?
To wound or pierce with a sharp-pointed organ, as a bee or nettle does.
Is STING a valid word?
Yes — STING is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is STING?
STING has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does STING come from?
From Old English 'stingan' (to prick, stab, or thrust), from a Proto-Germanic root related to piercing.
What can STING teach us?
Some defences cost the defender everything - a single sting can be a whole life spent on one warning.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.