pinch

1 of 3

verb

ˈpinch 

pinched; pinching; pinches

transitive verb

1

a

: to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument

b

: to prune the tip of (a plant or shoot) usually to induce branching

c

: to squeeze or compress painfully

d

: to cause physical or mental pain to

e(1)

: to cause to appear thin, haggard, or shrunken

(2)

: to cause to shrivel or wither

2

a

: to subject to strict economy or want : straiten

b

: to restrain or limit narrowly : constrict

3

a

: steal

b

: arrest

4

: to sail too close to the wind

intransitive verb

1

: compress, squeeze

2

: to be miserly or closefisted

3

: to press painfully

4

: narrow, taper

the road pinched down to a trail

—Cecelia Holland

pinch

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: a critical juncture : emergency

b(1)

: pressure, stress

(2)

: hardship, privation

c

: deficit

2

a

: an act of pinching : squeeze

b

: as much as may be taken between the finger and thumb

a pinch of snuff

c

: a very small amount

3

: a marked thinning of a vein or bed

4

a

: theft

b

: a police raid

also : arrest

pinch

3 of 3

adjective

1

: substitute

pinch runner

2

: hit by a pinch hitter

a pinch homer

Phrases

pinch pennies

: to practice strict economy

Synonyms

Verb

• nip

Noun

• grab
• heist
• rip-off
• snatching
• swiping
• theft

Choose the Right Synonym for pinch

juncture, exigency, emergency, contingency, pinch, strait (or straits) crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs.

juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.

come through in a pinch

strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.

in dire straits

crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

Examples of pinch in a Sentence

Verb

My little brother is always trying to pinch me.

He pinched her cheeks and told her how cute she was.

Pinch together the edges of the dough.

He pinched the top of his nose to stop the bleeding and leaned forward.

He pinched off the top of the shoots.

She pinched back the new growth.

These new shoes are pinching my toes.

I pinched my fingers in the door.

By pinching and scraping, she managed to save enough money to buy a new car.

Noun

the pinch of my favorite sweater really bugged me!

an innocent person caught up in a city-wide pinch of drug dealers

Adjective

A pinch homer won the game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The World Cup winner will often closely follow them into the opposition’s half and try to pinch the ball. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 1 May 2025

For now, goods are subject to import taxes, not programming services, but the tariffs will raise consumer prices, pinching pocketbooks, and may lead to softer advertising. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025

Noun

Drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt and pepper to boost healthy fats and flavor. —Allison Herries, Verywell Health, 28 Apr. 2025

He’s started 20 of them and entered as a pinch runner in one. —Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025

Adjective

Pinch runner Tony Kemp was then stranded at third, emblematic of Oakland’s offensive frustrations, as Ramón Laureano struck out, Canha walked, Olson popped up and pinch-hitter Robbie Grossman struck out against Casey Sadler. —Susan Slusser, SFChronicle.com, 26 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French *pincher, pincer

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pinch

• at a pinch
• feel the pinch
• in a pinch
• pinch bar
• pinch hit
• pinch hitter
• pinch me
• pinch of salt
• take (something) with a grain/pinch of salt

Rhymes for pinch

• cinch
• finch
• flinch
• inch
• lynch
• synch
• winch
• bullfinch
• goldfinch

Kids Definition

pinch

1 of 2 verb

ˈpinch 

1

a

: to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument

b

: to nip off (a bud) to control flowering or prune the tip of (a young shoot) to cause branching

c

: to squeeze painfully

2

: to cause to appear thin, haggard, or shrunken

a face pinched with cold

3

a

: to be thrifty or stingy

b

: to restrain or limit narrowly

4

a

: steal entry 1 sense 2a

b

: arrest entry 1 sense 2

5

a

: narrow entry 3, taper

b

: to sharply reduce the length or quantity of

pinch

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a critical time or point : emergency

help out in a pinch

b

: painful pressure or stress

the pinch of hunger

2

a

: an act of pinching

b

: as much as may be taken between the finger and thumb

a pinch of salt

c

: a small amount

3

a

: theft

b

: a police raid

also : arrest entry 2 sense 2

Medical Definition

pinch

transitive verb

ˈpinch 

: to squeeze or compress (a part of the body) usually in a painful or discomforting way

a pinched nerve caused by entrapment