pinch

1 an instance of theft the pinch of my favorite sweater really bugged me! Synonyms grab, heist, theft, rip-off, snatching, swipingRelated Words break-in, burglary, holdup, mugging, stickup

2 the act of taking into one's control by authority of law an innocent person caught up in a city-wide pinch of drug dealers Synonyms apprehension, arrestment, bust [slang], collar, arrestRelated Words raid; house arrest; capture, entrapment, seizure; captivity, confinement, detention, enchainment, hold, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, restraint; rearrest; remandNear Antonyms emancipation, liberation, releaseAntonyms discharge

3 a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number this labor pinch means that there'll be long lines at the checkouts Synonyms crunch, dearth, deficit, drought (also drouth), failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, deficiency, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, wantRelated Words absence, omission; meagerness, poorness, skimpiness; necessity, need, privationNear Antonyms bountifulness, copiousness; excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplusAntonyms abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth

1 to squeeze tightly between two surfaces, edges, or points the zipper on those jeans always pinches me Synonyms nip Related Words crimp, tweak; clasp, clutch, grasp, grip, hold, take Near Antonyms drop, free, loose, loosen, release, spring

2 to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep pinched the earrings while the boutique owner was distracted by another customer Synonyms appropriate, boost [slang], filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick [British slang], nip, pilfer, steal, pocket, purloin, rip off, snitch, swipe, thieveRelated Words burglarize, knock over, rob; loot, pillage, plunder, sack; carjack, hijack (also highjack); pick, rifle; poach, rustle, shoplift; collar, grab, grasp, nail, seize, snatch, take; mooch, sponge; abduct, kidnap, shanghai, spiritNear Antonyms buy, purchase; bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present

3 to take or keep under one's control by authority of law pinched the purse snatcher just two blocks from where he had robbed the old lady Synonyms apprehend, bust [slang], collar, nab, nail, nick [British slang], pick up, arrest, pull in, restrain, run in, seizeRelated Words bag, capture, catch, get, grab, grapple, hook, land, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap; commit, confine, detain, hold, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, jug, lock (up); bind, enchain, fetter, handcuff, manacle, shackle, trammel; rearrest; remandNear Antonyms emancipate, free, liberate, loose, loosen, release, spring; unbind, unchainAntonyms discharge

4 to avoid unnecessary waste or expense if we pinch hard for the upcoming year, we can probably afford the vacation at that fancy resort Synonyms economize, save, scrimp, skimp, spareRelated Words conserve, husband, maintain, manage, preserve; scrape; cut back, cut down, retrench; hoard, lay upNear Antonyms blow, dissipate, fritter (away), lavish, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away; splurgeAntonyms waste