pinch
Americanverb (used with object)
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pinches,
present (3rd person singular)
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pinched,
past participle, past
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pinching
present participle
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to squeeze or compress between the finger and thumb, the teeth, the jaws of an instrument, or the like.
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to constrict or squeeze painfully, as a tight shoe does.
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to cramp within narrow bounds or quarters.
The crowd pinched him into a corner.
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to render (the face, body, etc.) unnaturally constricted or drawn, as pain or distress does.
Years of hardship had pinched her countenance beyond recognition.
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to affect with sharp discomfort or distress, as cold, hunger, or need does.
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to straiten in means or circumstances.
The depression pinched them.
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to stint (a person, family, etc.) in allowance of money, food, or the like.
They were severely pinched by the drought.
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to hamper or inconvenience by the lack of something specified.
The builders were pinched by the shortage of good lumber.
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to stint the supply or amount of (a thing).
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to put a pinch or small quantity of (a powder, spice, etc.) into something.
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to roll or slide (a heavy object) with leverage from a pinch bar.
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Slang.
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to steal.
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to arrest.
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Digital Technology. to move two or more fingers toward or away from each other on (a touchscreen) in order to execute a command (often followed by in orout ).
Zoom in by pinching the screen.
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Horticulture. to remove or shorten (buds or shoots) in order to produce a certain shape of the plant, improve the quality of the bloom or fruit, or increase the development of buds (often followed by out, off, orback ).
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Nautical. to sail (a ship) so close into the wind that the sails shake slightly and the speed is reduced.
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Horse Racing, British. to press (a horse) to the point of exhaustion.
verb (used without object)
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pinches,
present (3rd person singular)
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pinched,
past participle, past
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pinching
present participle
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to exert a sharp or painful constricting force.
This shoe pinches.
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to cause sharp discomfort or distress.
Their stomachs were pinched with hunger.
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to economize unduly; stint oneself.
They pinched and scraped for years to save money for a car.
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Digital Technology. to move the fingers toward or away from each other on a touchscreen (often followed by in orout ).
Pinching in will zoom in, and pinching out will zoom out.
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Mining. (of a vein of ore or the like)
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to diminish.
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to diminish to nothing (sometimes followed byout ).
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Nautical. to trim a sail too flat when sailing to windward.
noun
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pinches
plural
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the act of pinching; nip; squeeze.
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as much of anything as can be taken up between the finger and thumb.
a pinch of salt.
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a very small quantity of anything.
a pinch of pungent wit.
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sharp or painful stress, as of hunger, need, or any trying circumstances.
the pinch of conscience; to feel the pinch of poverty.
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a situation or time of special stress, especially an emergency.
A friend is someone who will stand by you in a pinch.
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Slang. a raid or an arrest.
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Slang. a theft.
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Digital Technology. an act or instance of pinching a touchscreen.
idioms
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with a pinch of salt. salt. Also with a grain of salt
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pinch pennies, to stint on or be frugal or economical with expenditures; economize.
I'll have to pinch pennies if I'm going to get through school.
verb
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to press (something, esp flesh) tightly between two surfaces, esp between a finger and the thumb See nip 1
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to confine, squeeze, or painfully press (toes, fingers, etc) because of lack of space
these shoes pinch
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(tr) to cause stinging pain to
the cold pinched his face
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(tr) to make thin or drawn-looking, as from grief, lack of food, etc
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(usually foll by on) to provide (oneself or another person) with meagre allowances, amounts, etc
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to live frugally because of meanness or to economize
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(tr) nautical to sail (a sailing vessel) so close to the wind that her sails begin to luff and she loses way
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(of a vein of ore) to narrow or peter out
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to remove the tips of (buds, shoots, etc) to correct or encourage growth
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informal (tr) to steal or take without asking
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informal (tr) to arrest
noun
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a squeeze or sustained nip
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the quantity of a substance, such as salt, that can be taken between a thumb and finger
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a very small quantity
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a critical situation; predicament; emergency
if it comes to the pinch we'll have to manage
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sharp, painful, or extreme stress, need, etc
feeling the pinch of poverty
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See pinch bar
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slang a robbery
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slang a police raid or arrest
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if absolutely necessary
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without wholly believing; sceptically
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pinchsimple
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pinchessimple
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have pinchedperfect
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has pinchedperfect
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am pinchingprogressive
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are pinchingprogressive
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is pinchingprogressive
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have been pinchingperfect progressive
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has been pinchingperfect progressive
Past
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pinchedsimple
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had pinchedperfect
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was pinchingprogressive
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were pinchingprogressive
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had been pinchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pinch
1250–1300; Middle English pinchen < Anglo-French *pinchier (equivalent to Old French pincier, Spanish pinchar ) < Vulgar Latin *pīnctiāre, variant of *pūnctiāre to prick ( cf. pique 1)
Explanation
To pinch is to sharply squeeze or grip with your fingers. No matter how much you love your grandma, you probably don't enjoy it when she pinches your cheek and tells you how tall you've gotten. You can pinch your little brother when he's being annoying, and you can pinch an image on a touchscreen (to make it smaller or larger) by moving your fingertips the same way. Pinch is also a noun, meaning the act of pinching or the amount of something you can hold between your finger and thumb: "Add a pinch of salt to the soup." Informally, if you pinch something from a store, you steal it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He told the BBC's Wake Up to Money programme that the country was being targeted by Russian cyber-hackers who "know that there are pinch points in the food supply system".
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Douglas Belkin and Roshan Fernandez trace how the problems that have long buffeted the nation’s smaller schools are now spreading to bigger, richer universities—with midsize private schools such as Syracuse especially feeling the pinch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
“It’s one of those things you just pinch yourself. You know it’s going to stop at some point but you just go along for the ride.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Quebec and Ontario provinces in eastern Canada, the country's economic powerhouses, are especially expected to feel the pinch, they said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
It’d be like asking a friend to pass you some toilet paper under the stall if you’re in a pinch.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
The bridge pinches off faster than light could traverse it, rendering it non-traversable.
From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026
Rising inflation pinches households and can keep borrowing costs elevated.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
"Ivor pinches, he bites and pulls and messes things up... he's not a normal brother," she said, adding her daughters are also his carers and give her "emotional support".
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025
“Would a frugal businessman,” Blanche asked, “would a man who pinches pennies, repay a $130,000 debt to the tune of $420,000?”
From Salon ● May 7, 2024
“This was once the seat of the Pandava brothers and their wife, Draupadi. You mere pinches of mortality are nothing compared to them. You cannot possess me!”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Some energy analysts say they have been fielding investor questions about when consumers pinched by the high prices will start pulling back on new purchases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The war in Iran has pinched Central Valley farmers — already struggling with water supply and other issues — by driving up fertilizer prices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
With many Americans already feeling pinched after postpandemic inflation drove up the prices of goods and services, that could be a recipe for even greater economic malaise.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Consumers remain generous in their tipping, for example. Sometimes if someone is feeling pinched at the pocket they might pull back on tipping, but none of that is happening.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
She pinched the tabs and pushed the screen up.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
At the Unitree booth, a robot made a sandwich with two slices of bread and a single piece of lettuce, pinching the leaf to assemble it.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
“We kept pinching him and telling him, ‘You’re here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
"The cost of living impacts all of us, it also impacts our running costs and we know our donors are generous, but we know the cost of living is pinching their pockets too."
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
“It feels like somebody pinching you—not softly, either,” said Rodriguez, who works at an internet-service provider.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Sure enough, a little while later, the pinching man showed up at our hut.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
