stinger

[ sting-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that stings.
2. an animal or plant having a stinging organ.
3. the sting or stinging organ of an insect or other animal.
4. Informal. a stinging blow, remark, or the like.
5. a cocktail made of brandy and crème de menthe.
6. Stinger, Military. a U.S. Army shoulder-launched, heat-seeking antiaircraft missile with a range of 3 miles (5 kilometers).
7. British Informal. a highball of whiskey and soda.
8. Television.
   1. a clip appearing during or after the closing credits of a show or movie:

      The next season’s new cast member appears briefly in the stinger.

   2. sting ( def 21 ).

Stinger

¹

/ ˈstɪŋə /

noun

1. a device, consisting of a long track of raised spikes, laid across a road by police to puncture the tyres of escaping vehicles

ˈstinger

²

/ ˈstɪŋə /

noun

1. a person, plant, animal, etc, that stings or hurts
2. any marine creature that stings its victims, esp the box jellyfish
3. Alsostengah a whisky and soda with crushed ice

stinger

/ stĭng′ər /

1. A sharp stinging organ, such as that of a bee, scorpion, or stingray. Stingers usually inject venom.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stinger¹

First recorded in 1545–55; sting + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“Initially I thought it was someone’s knee hitting mine – it felt like a big stinger,” he tells BBC Sport.

From BBC

They followed him for a further six miles until other officers used the stinger to slow him down.

From BBC

Moreno said at least 200 stingers were removed from his neck and arms.

From Los Angeles Times

Smaller than scorpions and lacking a stinger and tail, pseudoscorpions live in a range of habitats globally and are associated with a wide variety of parasitic organisms including nematodes.

From Science Daily

Cicadas don’t have stingers, they don’t bite, and they pose no real threat to humans.

From Salon