stinger

C1 Topic:Animals

US /ˈstɪŋɚ/ UK /ˈstɪŋə/ See IPA manual

Freq #22385

Meanings

1

noun
a sharp organ used by an insect, scorpion, stingray, or other animal to wound or inject venom

The bee left its stinger in the skin.
2

noun
a person, animal, or thing capable of delivering a sting or causing sudden harm

The allegory divides the idle class into harmless drones and dangerous stingers.
3

noun
a cutting remark or other detail that causes sudden emotional pain or an unpleasant surprise

Her final sentence was the stinger, exposing the hypocrisy behind his apology.
4

noun
a cocktail made with brandy and creme de menthe

He ordered a stinger as an after-dinner drink.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sharp organ used by an... sting barb

2 noun · a person, animal, or thing... attacker aggressor

3 noun · a cutting remark or other... barb cut sting

Word family

Forms stingers

Derived forms stingerless

Related forms sting venom barb

Etymology

Formed from sting + the agent or instrument suffix -er: literally, something or someone that stings. Both bodily and figurative uses are old; specialized senses such as the cocktail preserve the idea of a sharp effect.

Topics

Animals

External links

# stinger

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈstɪŋɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈstɪŋə/
**Frequency rank:** 22385

## Meanings
1. a sharp organ used by an insect, scorpion, stingray, or other animal to wound or inject venom
2. a person, animal, or thing capable of delivering a sting or causing sudden harm
3. a cutting remark or other detail that causes sudden emotional pain or an unpleasant surprise
4. a cocktail made with brandy and creme de menthe

## Examples
- The bee left its stinger in the skin.
- The allegory divides the idle class into harmless drones and dangerous stingers.
- Her final sentence was the stinger, exposing the hypocrisy behind his apology.
- He ordered a stinger as an after-dinner drink.

## Synonyms
- sting
- barb
- attacker
- cut

## Derived Forms
- stingerless

## Related Forms
- sting
- venom
- barb

## Etymology
Formed from sting + the agent or instrument suffix -er: literally, something or someone that stings. Both bodily and figurative uses are old; specialized senses such as the cocktail preserve the idea of a sharp effect.

## Topics
- Animals

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