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
Peter Kingcalled 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
D. J. PalladinoExamples 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
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
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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
Articles Related to stinger
Cite this Entry
“Stinger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stinger. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stinger
noun
sting·er
ˈstiŋ-ər 
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
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
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