feel the pinch

Idioms  

1. Be affected by hardship, especially straitened finances. For example, This job pays much less, so we're bound to feel the pinch. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

feel the pinch

As households feel the pinch from rising prices at the bowser, Chalmers said the government would offer 13 million workers a new Aus$250 payment each year.

From Barron's ● May 12, 2026

Agriculture will feel the pinch for longer, and liquefied-natural gas will be crimped for years because of damaged infrastructure in major producer Qatar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

“Even when they do start to feel the pinch, they don’t necessarily change their travel behavior, they cut back on other things.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

But with the loss of boosts to commercial and sponsorship revenue for the next 12 months and beyond, there is no doubt the FAW will feel the pinch.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

I could feel the pinch of its heat.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• call for
• demand
• desire
• lack
• require