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Glite Dictionary
🐝 To hurt sharply 🐝 A sharp pain 🕵️ A secret trap 💔 To hurt feelings 💔 Emotional pain 💸 To charge unfairly
to sting

to sting

10 6.5
To cause someone an unexpected loss of money by unfair charges
  • verb
  • /stɪŋ/
translation icon : timar
  • The unexpected tax increase could really sting many families this year.
  • sting with inflated prices

I'm going to sting Uber and Lyft during the Super Bowl and shut them down.

Examples

  • They're going to sting us!

    G-Saviour (1999)

  • Let's sting them a little more, and they'll come through with the money.

    Big Jake (1971)

  • I wanted the price to sting a little.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • That had to sting because we all know there were plenty of seats available now.

  • Do you have any idea how much that stings?

    Men in Black (1997)

  • After all, Claire is out to sting you and is going to ruin your reputation among the veteran community.

    Blog text (22)

  • Purchasing that new car may sting your wallet more than you expected.

  • Investing in risky stocks can sometimes sting investors when the market turns.

Synonyms

to stick
vsto sting
  • Informal
195 8.3

To force someone to accept an unwanted task or bill

often causes an unexpected financial loss rather than assigning an obligation
to come back to bite
vsto sting
  • Informal
12 6.8

To have problems later because of something you did before

often causes unfair or unexpected harm, not just natural consequences of past actions
to straiten
vsto sting
  • Archaic
1 9.8

Cause someone to have little money

often creates a sudden or unfair loss rather than a lasting financial state

Antonyms

to benefit
676 2.3

To help someone or be helped by something

Idioms

to sting like a bee
  • Informal
3 7.7

To say something that hurts someone suddenly and sharply

to have a sting
1 7.1

To cause a sharp feeling of hurt that lasts for a while

Compounds

sting operation
25 5.1

A secret police plan to trick people so they commit a crime and get arrested

bee sting
12 1.0

A painful, swollen spot on the skin when a bee's sharp point goes into it

sharp sting
1 3.2

A sudden, strong, short pain like a small prick

sting of nettle
6.7

A painful burning feeling on the skin after touching a nettle plant

How Harmful

to defraud
  • Formal
40 6.9
to swindle
20 5.5
scam
  • NSFW
294 3.0
to sting
10 6.5
to rip off
  • Informal
76 6.5
to cheat
474 1.2
to trick
326 3.5

Surface Forms

sting infinitive
stinging present participle
stings third person singular
stung past
stung past participle

Etymology

Sting in the sense of causing a financial hurt is a helpful image from the old meaning 'to prick' (Old English stingan), because a surprise fee or cheat 'stings' you like a sudden pain.