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 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

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, 14 Jan. 2026

Made from SpanxSmooth material—a lightweight nylon-and-elastane blend—the bralette feels almost weightless and provides gentle smoothing without any digging or pinching. —Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 30 Nov. 2025

Walter’s first full season in charge was the end of the penny pinching that existed under prior owner Frank McCourt. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025

The shoes have a wide toe box with plenty of room for feet to spread out, which helps prevent painful pinching and accommodates foot issues. —Isabel Garcia, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Verb

Renewables were 20% of supply before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, pinching Europe’s gas supplies. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026

From the red carpet and celebrities to pinching pennies at the pump, the Prius has served a role in the automotive ecosystem. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 8 Apr. 2026

Encourage bushy growth by pinching off the top set of leaves when the plants are still young. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Apr. 2026

Gerdes recommends pinching plants back once in a while to increase branching. —Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2026

Say goodbye to tight, pinching waistbands with Aeropostale's low-rise baggy jeans. —Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026

The woman in the chitenge was, by then, standing next to the cop, pinching her neck with one hand, dangling a set of keys in the other. —Literary Hub, 27 Mar. 2026

His head is usually turned slightly away, while his pinching eyes stare straight at you. —Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026

What's a penny-pinching grandparent to do? —Lynne Sullivan, The Providence Journal, 14 Mar. 2026