1
as in reduced
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in gaunt
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
2
as in stole
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
pinched the earrings while the boutique owner was distracted by another customer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrested
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in saved
to avoid unnecessary waste or expense
if we pinch hard for the upcoming year, we can probably afford the vacation at that fancy resort
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pinched
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Ingoglia has slammed city and county officials for overtaxing property owners as inflation and other costs have pinched residents.
—Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
Petritz says leaves with sunscald can be pinched off.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
Fonseca served out under pressure to take the match into a deciding set, and when Djokovic, a master of closing, pinched an early break for 3-1, Fonseca simply broke back immediately.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Many herbs should be pinched back to produce new branches and to keep fresh, tender leaves appearing throughout the summer.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
While that gain outpaced the rate of inflation in 2025, many workers were still feeling pinched by the accumulation of higher prices over the past few years and had to cut corners to make ends meet and run up credit card debt to pay for everyday necessities.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Walls swung away, rolled a ball through the infield that was pinched in and scored Mullins.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2026
Lately, the day-to-night, slip-on shoe has been showing up with ruching — as in, the upper is pinched along the edge to create an interesting textural effect.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
Verb
Her portrait of residents pinched between floods and receding sea ice is a testament to their love of this vulnerable land that is their home.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Ingoglia has slammed city and county officials for overtaxing property owners as inflation and other costs have pinched residents.
—Gray Rohrer, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
Petritz says leaves with sunscald can be pinched off.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
Fonseca served out under pressure to take the match into a deciding set, and when Djokovic, a master of closing, pinched an early break for 3-1, Fonseca simply broke back immediately.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Many herbs should be pinched back to produce new branches and to keep fresh, tender leaves appearing throughout the summer.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
While that gain outpaced the rate of inflation in 2025, many workers were still feeling pinched by the accumulation of higher prices over the past few years and had to cut corners to make ends meet and run up credit card debt to pay for everyday necessities.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Walls swung away, rolled a ball through the infield that was pinched in and scored Mullins.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2026
Lately, the day-to-night, slip-on shoe has been showing up with ruching — as in, the upper is pinched along the edge to create an interesting textural effect.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinched
Adjective
-
Even after trust fund depletion, the system will continue issuing benefits, albeit at reduced amounts.—
Fatima Hussein,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Elevated oil prices also made up for reduced export volumes and should provide some relief for the current account and fiscal balances this year.—
Melissa Hancock,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Gilbert, now imprisoned at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, appeared gaunt and withdrawn during the interview, at times mumbling short responses before abruptly cutting the conversation short.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
But Sweeney nipped that idea in the bud.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
1 June 2026
-
Darby hit a Scorpion Death Drop and nipped up to his feet.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
The Angels had a chance to get an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, when Oswald Peraza led off with a hit and stole second and third.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
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The collective value of the items the two men stole totaled nearly $2 million, prosecutors said.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Baltimore Police say Lunn was arrested less than a week later, after a person who saw a Metro Crime Stoppers flyer on the news called in a tip.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
-
Alvarez, his brother and his mother were arrested later that year.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The 1961 legislation establishing the Seashore saved the land from development and gave the public a pristine example of what the popular peninsula looked like before the Pilgrims arrived in Provincetown and before the birth of the nation.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Demolition crews were busy on Tuesday tearing down the cafe at its base, and there are serious questions about whether the pier itself can be saved.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Social Security is not going bankrupt, experts say, though benefits may be reduced when the program reaches the trust fund depletion date.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
Many of the state’s poorer cities and counties that already are living on the margin and depend on the state for assistance in providing basic services could go bankrupt or be merged with other local governments, officials warned.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Rocking back and forth nervously during a television appearance, a haggard-looking Diaz-Canel acknowledged the same talks, which his government had denied were taking place just days before.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Wrexham, meanwhile, was near the bottom, struggling in England’s lowest division under a haggard fan-ownership group keeping it on life support.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pinched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinched. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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