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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pinching
Isabel Garcia, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
PC Magazine, 24 Aug. 2025
Hypernova will ship bundled with an sEMG wristband, codenamed Ceres, that reads muscle signals in the wrist to enable discreet gesture controls such as pinching.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The ulnar collateral ligament in the hand stabilizes the base of the thumb, allowing for pinching and gripping.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
There’s a time and a place for dicing up cold butter, pinching it into the flour with your fingers, and rolling and folding to create the loftiest, flakiest layers.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 15 Aug. 2025
Harvesting your plants regularly or pinching back their leaves to a leaf node will make your plants more productive and bushier, and slow down flowering, which diminishes the flavor of the leaves.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2025
Edita would stop by unannounced to remind them of this, pulling up in her shiny black Escalade, barking orders, and pinching their biceps with a precise and acrylic force that even Evie could feel.
—Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Otherwise, the Galaxy Watch 8 has Samsung’s One UI 8 interface on top of Wear OS 6 to put its own spin on interacting with your watch, with support for gesture controls to dismiss an alarm by twisting your wrist or take a picture by double-pinching your fingers.
—PC Magazine, 24 Aug. 2025
Hypernova will ship bundled with an sEMG wristband, codenamed Ceres, that reads muscle signals in the wrist to enable discreet gesture controls such as pinching.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
The ulnar collateral ligament in the hand stabilizes the base of the thumb, allowing for pinching and gripping.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2025
There’s a time and a place for dicing up cold butter, pinching it into the flour with your fingers, and rolling and folding to create the loftiest, flakiest layers.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 15 Aug. 2025
Harvesting your plants regularly or pinching back their leaves to a leaf node will make your plants more productive and bushier, and slow down flowering, which diminishes the flavor of the leaves.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2025
Edita would stop by unannounced to remind them of this, pulling up in her shiny black Escalade, barking orders, and pinching their biceps with a precise and acrylic force that even Evie could feel.
—Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinching
Adjective
-
He was acquired, along with closer Victor Vodnik, in a July 2023 trade with the Braves for reliever Pierce Johnson.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
17 Sep. 2025
-
In the last fortnight alone, Starmer's Deputy Prime Minister and close ally Angela Rayner has resigned after a house tax scandal, triggering a major cabinet reshuffle.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Daylight saving time ends (slightly) earlier in 2025.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Daylight saving time is all about a desire to save energy by extending sunlight later in the day during spring and summer.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For every person holding the statue, there are four or five who came close and didn’t.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The extra point was good but there was a holding penalty on the Rebels.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Prometheus was chained to a rock for stealing the fire of the gods and giving it to human beings.—
Alan Lightman
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Back in May, Steven Hale pleaded guilty to spending about a year between 2021 and 2022 stealing discs from his employer and selling them online through e-commerce sites.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Climate change has reduced its size dramatically, to a ghost of its former self, but the surrounding mountains are still arresting.—
Thomas Page McBee,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The plaintiffs later accused the department of violating the order by hitting journalists with batons and arresting them during an August protest.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By extending sensor reach while conserving power, technologies like Wi-Fi HaLow can help broaden access to real-time environmental data, especially in areas where traditional networks fall short.—
Michael De Nil,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
How Treatment Types Affect Secondary Cancer Risk The study focused on women who received breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy as their first treatment.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But Eliasen is careful not to let scope creep derail initial implementations.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Closing out the 2017 Oscars, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty presented the Best Picture category, with La La Land as the frontrunner and Moonlight nipping at its heels.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The Panthers were able to prevent Pembroke from a clean sweep of both team championships, nipping the Titans for the girls crown by just nine points in the school standings with 69 overall.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pinching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinching. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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