stinger

noun

sting·​er ˈstiŋ-ər How to pronounce stinger (audio)
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

called 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

Examples 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Usually, these stingers feature either new characters (Thor!), new places (Wakanda!), or new concepts (Multiversal incursions!). Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2025 Among its many innovations was its unconventional score, an abstract suite of bone-chilling scrapes, metallic clanks, ominous drones and mysterious stingers. The Learning Network, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025 The film stumbles a bit on multiple climaxes, but recovers nicely for a bitterly funny stinger. Katie Rife, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025 Whoever on the editing team added in that little musical stinger to punctuate Carolyn and Danielle’s surprise at how thoroughly off the mark Sandoval is, thank you. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stinger

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stinger was circa 1552

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Cite this Entry

“Stinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stinger. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

stinger

noun
sting·​er ˈstiŋ-ər How to pronounce stinger (audio)
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 How to pronounce stinger (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on stinger

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