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pinch

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of pinch

1 an instance of theft
  • the pinch of my favorite sweater really bugged me!
Synonyms of pinch

grab, heist, rip-off, snatching, swiping, theft
Words Related to pinch

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 of pinch

apprehension, arrest, arrestment, bust [slang], collar
Words Related to pinch

raid

house arrest

capture, entrapment, seizure

captivity, confinement, detention, enchainment, hold, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, restraint

rearrest

remand
Near Antonyms of pinch

emancipation, liberation, release
Antonyms of pinch

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 of pinch

crunch, dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought (also drouth), failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want
Words Related to pinch

absence, omission

meagerness, poorness, skimpiness

necessity, need, privation
Near Antonyms of pinch

bountifulness, copiousness

excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus
Antonyms of pinch

abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth

Synonym Discussion of 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

pinch

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of pinch

1 to squeeze tightly between two surfaces, edges, or points
  • the zipper on those jeans always pinches me
Synonyms of pinch

nip
Words Related to pinch

crimp, tweak

clasp, clutch, grasp, grip, hold, take
Near Antonyms of pinch

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 of pinch

appropriate, boost [slang], filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick [British slang], nip, pilfer, pocket, purloin, rip off, snitch, steal, swipe, thieve
Words Related to pinch

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, spirit
Phrases Synonymous with pinch

make away with, make off with, run off with, walk off with
Near Antonyms of pinch

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 of pinch

apprehend, arrest, bust [slang], collar, nab, nail, nick [British slang], pick up, pull in, restrain, run in, seize
Words Related to pinch

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

remand
Near Antonyms of pinch

emancipate, free, liberate, loose, loosen, release, spring

unbind, unchain
Antonyms of pinch

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 of pinch

economize, save, scrimp, skimp, spare
Words Related to pinch

conserve, husband, maintain, manage, preserve

scrape

cut back, cut down, retrench

hoard, lay up
Phrases Synonymous with pinch

pinch pennies
Near Antonyms of pinch

blow, dissipate, fritter (away), lavish, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away

splurge
Antonyms of pinch

waste

Learn More about pinch

  1. See words that rhyme with pinch Dictionary: Definition of pinch Medical Dictionary: Definition of pinch Spanish Central: Translation of pinch Nglish: Translation of pinch for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pinch for Arabic speakers

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