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pinch

Syllabification: (pinch)
Pronunciation: /pinCH/

Translate pinch | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of pinch

verb

[with object]
  • 1grip (something, typically someone’s flesh) tightly and sharply between finger and thumb:she pinched his cheek
  • (of a shoe) hurt (a foot) by being too tight.
  • compress (the lips), especially with worry or tension:Aunt Rose pinched her thin lips together
  • remove (a bud, leaves, etc.) to encourage bushy growth.
  • 2 [no object] live in a frugal way:if I pinch and scrape, I might manage
  • 3 informal arrest (someone):I was pinched for speeding
  • informal steal:he pinched a handful of candies
  • 4 Sailing sail (a boat) so close to the wind that the sails begin to lose power.

noun

  • 1an act of gripping the skin of someone’s body between finger and thumb:he gave her a gentle pinch
  • an amount of an ingredient that can be held between fingers and thumb:add a pinch of salt
  • 2 informal an arrest.
  • an act of theft or plagiarism.

Phrases

in a pinch

in a critical situation; if absolutely necessary.

feel the pinch

experience hardship, especially financial.

have to pinch oneself

used to convey that a good situation is so surprising that the person involved has to make sure they are not imagining it:sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize it isn’t all a dream

pinch (one's) pennies

see penny.

Derivatives

pincher

noun

Origin:

Middle English (as a verb): from an Old Northern French variant of Old French pincier 'to pinch'

pinch in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pinch in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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