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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

To easily remove the leaves from the stems, simply pinch the top of the sprig and slide your fingers down it to release the leaves. —Amanda Stanfield, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2023

Across the board, rates dropped in consecutive years from 2020 through 2023 in streaming, linear TV and series-TV overall, with particularly dramatic declines over the last year while the Hollywood WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes pinched the content-TV pipeline. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023

As important, the discovery brought the beginning of time into the lab, where it could be pinched, squeezed and dissected. —Dennis Overbye Hiroko Masuike, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023

Slightly thicker arms give a secure fit and durable feel that doesn’t pinch temples or slide down your nose. —Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 31 Aug. 2023

At Coperni, things got cheeky with the aforementioned hand brooch that gave the illusion of pinching the model’s nipple. —Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2023

The hi-po ZDX also has upgraded brakes with larger 15.6-inch front rotors pinched by Brembo six-piston calipers. —Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 17 Aug. 2023

These features ensure that the panties won't pinch or dig, providing all-day comfort and support. —Courtney Leiva, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023

If the plant becomes leggy, simply pinch back the stems to keep the plant compact. —Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2023

Noun

Crow-Armstrong wasn’t in the starting lineup Monday but made his major-league debut in the seventh as a pinch runner following Mike Tauchman’s leadoff single. —Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023

Ultimate Apple Pie: Alongside other classic baking spices, a pinch of cardamom helps conjure that classic sweet and spicy apple pie flavor. —Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2023

Make it: Drizzle 1/2 cup shelled edamame with a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. —Women's Health, 28 Aug. 2023

Barnes, who added a pinch of offense to go with his solid game-calling and receiving abilities. —Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2023

The slowdown in lending has put a pinch on some real estate owners, who must obtain new financing when existing loans expire or when purchasing new properties. —Steve Brown, Dallas News, 17 Aug. 2023

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, and then mix the tomato-peach juice with the juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt. —Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 7 Aug. 2023

Swap out sherry vinegar Try red wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar, since sherry vinegar has a sweeter flavor profile. —Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 18 Aug. 2023

Start with a pinch and add more as needed, but stop before your drink starts tasting outright salty. —Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 17 Aug. 2023

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

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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

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

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

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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