stung: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Neutral to informal. Common in everyday speech, narrative writing, and informal contexts to describe physical or emotional pain.
Quick answer
What does “stung” mean?
The past tense and past participle of 'sting', meaning to cause a sharp, sudden pain, typically by piercing the skin with a sharp organ (like a bee) or through emotional hurt.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The past tense and past participle of 'sting', meaning to cause a sharp, sudden pain, typically by piercing the skin with a sharp organ (like a bee) or through emotional hurt.
Can also describe feeling sharp emotional pain, regret, or wounded pride, often due to criticism or financial loss. In slang, it can mean being cheated or swindled.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. Both use 'stung' as the standard past form of 'sting'. The slang use meaning 'cheated' is slightly more common in British informal contexts.
Connotations
In both varieties, it can imply vulnerability and a reaction that is both sudden and painful.
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects.
Grammar
How to Use “stung” in a Sentence
[Subject] stung [Object] (transitive: The bee stung me.)[Subject] was/got stung (passive: He was stung by a wasp.)[Subject] stung [Object] [Adverbial] (complex transitive: The comment stung him into replying.)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “stung” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- A hornet stung him while he was gardening.
- She was stung by their lack of gratitude.
- The high price stung a bit, but I paid it.
American English
- A jellyfish stung my leg at the beach.
- He felt stung by the negative review.
- We got stung on the car repair bill.
adjective
British English
- He had a stung, defensive look on his face.
- The stung player argued with the referee.
American English
- Her stung pride made her refuse the help.
- A stung silence followed his accusation.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used informally to describe a bad deal or financial loss (e.g., 'The company got stung by that investment.').
Academic
Rare in formal academic prose except in biological contexts describing insect behaviour or metaphorical use in literary analysis.
Everyday
Very common for describing insect bites, minor pains, or hurt feelings.
Technical
Used in entomology and medicine to describe the act of an insect or animal injecting venom.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “stung”
- Using 'stinged' as the past tense (incorrect; it's irregular: sting-stung-stung).
- Confusing 'stung' with 'stunk' (past of stink).
- Overusing the adjective form; 'he looked stung' is correct but less common than 'he looked hurt'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While its primary use is for insects, jellyfish, or plants that cause a sharp pain, it is very commonly used metaphorically for emotional pain or being cheated financially.
The present tense is 'sting' (e.g., 'Bees sting'). 'Stung' is the irregular past tense and past participle.
Yes, but it is less frequent. It describes someone showing the effects of being hurt or offended, as in 'a stung expression'.
'Stung' typically involves a puncture and injection of venom (bees, wasps, nettles). 'Bitten' involves teeth closing on something (mosquitoes, dogs, snakes that use fangs). Some creatures, like spiders, are said to 'bite'.
The past tense and past participle of 'sting', meaning to cause a sharp, sudden pain, typically by piercing the skin with a sharp organ (like a bee) or through emotional hurt.
Stung is usually neutral to informal. common in everyday speech, narrative writing, and informal contexts to describe physical or emotional pain. in register.
Stung: in British English it is pronounced /stʌŋ/, and in American English it is pronounced /stʌŋ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Stung into action (prompted to act by a sharp stimulus)”
- “Got stung (informal: was cheated or overcharged)”
- “A stinging remark (a hurtful comment)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine the word 'stung' contains 'sting' – they share the sharp 'st' sound. Think: 'The st**ung** bee had already d**ung** its job.'
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTIONAL PAIN IS PHYSICAL PAIN (e.g., 'His words stung.'), BEING CHEATED IS BEING ATTACKED (e.g., 'I got stung on the price.').
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'The scam artist stung them for thousands,' what does 'stung' mean?