Synonyms of pinching

pinching 1 of 3

adjective

as in close

giving or sharing as little as possible

neighborhood kids who were trick-or-treating knew better than to bother to knock on that pinching couple's door

Synonyms & Similar Words

• close
• careful
• tight
• selfish
• greedy
• sparing
• miserly
• conserving
• mean
• stingy
• desirous
• cheap
• spare
• saving
• ungenerous
• tightfisted
• parsimonious
• penny-pinching
• penurious
• stinting
• uncharitable
• chintzy
• small
• closefisted
• pinchpenny
• mingy
• economical
• economizing
• grasping
• chary
• scrimping
• frugal
• covetous
• thrifty
• skimping
• itchy
• avaricious
• acquisitive
• mercenary
• envious
• begrudging
• grudging
• coveting
• sordid
• shabby
• rapacious
• resentful
• avid
• hoggish
• inhospitable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• generous
• liberal
• bountiful
• charitable
• unstinting
• openhanded
• bounteous
• munificent
• unsparing
• free
• unselfish
• extravagant
• selfless
• altruistic
• profuse
• lavish
• handsome
• overgenerous
• benevolent
• freehanded
• philanthropic
• hospitable
• humanitarian
• beneficent
• wasting
• kindly
• compassionate
• magnanimous
• wasteful
• profligate
• spendthrift
• dissipating
• unthrifty
• prodigal
• openhearted
• squandering
• good-hearted
• greathearted
• splurging
• frittering
• thriftless

pinching

2 of 3

noun

as in saving

the quality or practice of being overly sparing with money

this constant pinching is getting ridiculous—we can afford to turn on one or two lights!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• saving
• economizing
• economy
• tightness
• managing
• cheapness
• stinginess
• miserliness
• conserving
• providence
• closeness
• parsimony
• penny-pinching
• cheeseparing
• husbanding
• conservation
• tightfistedness
• penuriousness
• thrift
• frugality
• scrimping
• skimping
• husbandry

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• generosity
• liberality
• bounty
• unselfishness
• philanthropy
• extravagance
• largesse
• dissipation
• openhandedness
• lavishness
• bountifulness
• squandering
• wastefulness
• prodigality
• openheartedness
• improvidence

pinching

3 of 3

verb

present participle of pinch

1

as in holding

to squeeze tightly between two surfaces, edges, or points

the zipper on those jeans always pinches me

Synonyms & Similar Words

• holding
• nipping
• clasping
• clutching
• grasping
• gripping
• crimping
• taking
• tweaking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dropping
• releasing
• springing
• freeing
• loosening
• loosing

2

as in stealing

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

• stealing
• swiping
• lifting
• grabbing
• nipping
• robbing
• pilfering
• snatching
• nicking
• thieving
• filching
• pocketing
• appropriating
• hooking
• snitching
• purloining
• misappropriating
• ripping off
• boosting
• picking
• taking
• running off with
• making off with
• hijacking
• seizing
• plundering
• making away with
• sacking
• heisting
• walking off with
• looting
• pillaging
• grasping
• knocking over
• burglarizing
• rifling
• poaching
• shoplifting
• rustling
• nailing
• abducting
• collaring
• sponging
• kidnapping
• mooching
• spiriting
• carjacking
• shanghaiing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• buying
• purchasing
• giving
• contributing
• presenting
• donating
• bestowing
• handing over

3

as in arresting

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

• arresting
• seizing
• grabbing
• restraining
• apprehending
• detaining
• nicking
• capturing
• nailing
• snatching
• busting
• committing
• running in
• pulling in
• nabbing
• catching
• trapping
• collaring
• jailing
• imprisoning
• picking up
• confining
• bagging
• hooking
• snaring
• holding
• incarcerating
• grappling
• binding
• handcuffing
• getting
• landing
• snapping (up)
• locking (up)
• shackling
• interning
• fettering
• jugging
• immuring
• enchaining
• remanding
• trammeling
• manacling
• rearresting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharging
• springing
• releasing
• loosening
• freeing
• loosing
• liberating
• emancipating
• unbinding
• unchaining

4

as in conserving

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 & Similar Words

• saving
• conserving
• sparing
• economizing
• managing
• scrimping
• skimping
• preserving
• scraping
• pinching pennies
• maintaining
• hoarding
• husbanding
• cutting down
• cutting back
• retrenching
• laying up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wasting
• spending
• blowing
• squandering
• dissipating
• running through
• lavishing
• throwing away
• frittering (away)
• misspending
• splurging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pinching

Noun

The headband is flexible for a perfect fit, and the adjustable earcups have plush cushioning to prevent pinching. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

The Maui flip-flops target key pressure points on the sole of the foot to help evenly distribute weight and reduce stress, while the wide toe post is designed to minimize pinching and blisters. — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 13 June 2026

The penny pinching doesn’t exactly translate with the NBA, a players’ league and one where market size to elevate brand is difficult in Portland. — Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

The bra’s signature M frame creates a sturdy structure that supports your chest sans underwire — thereby avoiding any digging, pinching, and poking throughout the day. — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026

The result is a weeknight-friendly meal with no need for folding and pinching. — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2026

The memory foam construction also provides plush cushioning to prevent pinching. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026

In digital tests, wearers used natural pinching and grasping gestures to zoom and manipulate virtual objects on a computer screen with fluid precision. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 25 Mar. 2026

The penny pinching has small business owners complaining about hard times. — ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026

Verb

Gifford adds that occasionally pinching the growing tips will encourage fuller plants and delay flowering. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 2 July 2026

Plus, the padded heel counters reduce chafing and pinching around your Achilles heel. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026

Starting along short side of rectangle, lay 4 pieces of pepperoni side by side, half-inch apart, and roll into tight cylinder, pinching seam to seal. — ABC News, 29 June 2026

Each arm has two finger-like pinching grippers that resemble the hands of a Lego mini figure. — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 28 June 2026

In van Dongen’s case, the pinching motion required to hold a dart would trigger the spasms. — Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026

But the Department of Homeland Security—an organization not otherwise known for their penny-pinching nature— somehow managed to build the Transportation Security Administration’s Canine Training Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for $12 million. — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Adjusting text size, for example, requires two-finger pinching on the screen. — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 19 June 2026

That's pinching both mechanics and drivers. — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 16 June 2026