pinch
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pinch
(pĭnch)v. pinched, pinch·ing, pinch·es
v.tr.
1. To squeeze (something) between the thumb and a finger, the jaws of a tool, or other edges.
2. To cause pain or discomfort to (a part of the body) by pressing or being too tight: These shoes pinch my toes.
3. To nip, wither, or shrivel: buds that were pinched by the frost; a face that was pinched with grief.
4. To cause to be in difficulty or financial distress: "A year and a half of the blockade has pinched Germany" (William L. Shirer).
5. Slang To take (money or property) wrongfully. See Synonyms at steal.
6. Slang To take into custody; arrest.
7. To move (something) with a pinch bar.
8. Nautical To sail (a boat) so close into the wind that its sails shiver and its speed is reduced.
v.intr.
1. To press, squeeze, or bind painfully: This collar pinches.
2. To draw a thumb and a finger together on a touchscreen to cause the image to become smaller.
3. To be frugal or miserly: If we pinch, we might save some money.
4. Nautical To drag an oar at the end of a stroke.
n.
1. The act or an instance of pinching.
2. An amount that can be held between thumb and forefinger: a pinch of salt.
3. Difficulty or hardship: felt the pinch of the recession.
4. An emergency situation: This coat will do in a pinch.
5. A narrowing of a mineral deposit, as in a mine.
6. Informal A theft.
7. Slang An arrest by a law enforcement officer.
adj. Baseball
Idiom: Relating to pinch-hitting or pinch runners: a pinch single; a pinch steal of third base.
pinch pennies Informal
To be thrifty or miserly.
[Middle English pinchen, from Old North French *pinchier, variant of Old French pincer; akin to Italian pinzare, to sting, and Spanish pinchar, to prick, sting, all derived from a Romance imitative root pints- expressive of pinching or pricking.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pinch
(pɪntʃ)vb
1. to press (something, esp flesh) tightly between two surfaces, esp between a finger and the thumb. See nip1
2. to confine, squeeze, or painfully press (toes, fingers, etc) because of lack of space: these shoes pinch.
3. (tr) to cause stinging pain to: the cold pinched his face.
4. (tr) to make thin or drawn-looking, as from grief, lack of food, etc
5. (usually foll by on) to provide (oneself or another person) with meagre allowances, amounts, etc
6. pinch pennies to live frugally because of meanness or to economize
7. (Nautical Terms) (tr) nautical to sail (a sailing vessel) so close to the wind that her sails begin to luff and she loses way
8. (Mining & Quarrying) (sometimes foll by: out) (of a vein of ore) to narrow or peter out
9. (Horticulture) (usually foll by: off, out, or back) to remove the tips of (buds, shoots, etc) to correct or encourage growth
10. (tr) informal to steal or take without asking
11. (Law) (tr) informal to arrest
n
12. a squeeze or sustained nip
13. (Units) the quantity of a substance, such as salt, that can be taken between a thumb and finger
14. (Units) a very small quantity
15. a critical situation; predicament; emergency: if it comes to the pinch we'll have to manage.
16. the pinch sharp, painful, or extreme stress, need, etc: feeling the pinch of poverty.
17. (Tools) See pinch bar
18. slang a robbery
19. (Law) slang a police raid or arrest
20. at a pinch if absolutely necessary
21. with a pinch of salt with a grain of salt without wholly believing; sceptically
[C16: probably from Old Norman French pinchier (unattested); related to Old French pincier to pinch; compare Late Latin punctiāre to prick]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pinch
(pɪntʃ)v.t.
1. to squeeze or compress between the finger and thumb, the jaws of an instrument, or the like.
2. to constrict or squeeze painfully, as a tight shoe does.
3. to render unnaturally constricted or drawn: a face pinched with fear.
4. to remove or shorten (buds or shoots) in order to produce a certain plant shape or to encourage growth.
5. to affect with sharp discomfort or distress, as cold, hunger, or need does.
6. to straiten in means or circumstances: a family pinched by the recession.
7. to hamper or inconvenience by the lack of something specified.
8. to stint the supply or amount of (a thing).
9. Slang.
a. to steal.
b. to arrest.
10. to sail (a ship) so close to the wind that the sails shake and the speed is reduced.
v.i. 11. to exert a sharp or painful constricting force: shoes that pinch.
12. to cause sharp discomfort or distress.
13. to economize unduly; stint oneself: pinched and saved to buy a new car.
14. (of a vein of ore or the like) to diminish.
n. 15. the act of pinching; nip; squeeze.
16. as much of something as can be taken up between the finger and thumb.
17. a very small quantity.
18. sharp or painful stress, as of hunger, need, or any trying circumstances.
19. a situation or time of special stress, esp. an emergency.
20. Slang.
Idioms: a. a raid or an arrest.
b. a theft.
pinch pennies, to stint on or be frugal with expenditures.
[1250–1300; < Anglo-French *pinchier (Old French pincier, Sp pinchar) < Vulgar Latin *pīnctiāre, variant of *pūnctiāre to prick (compare pique1)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pinch
a very small quantity.Examples: pinch of pleasure, 1583; of salt; of snuff, 1712; of fresh tea, 1840.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
pinch
Past participle: pinched
Gerund: pinching
| Imperative |
|---|
| pinch |
| pinch |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  pinch - a painful or straitened circumstance; "the pinch of the recession"difficulty - a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome; "grappling with financial difficulties" |
| 2. | pinch - an injury resulting from getting some body part squeezed | |
| 3. |  pinch - a slight but appreciable amount; "this dish could use a touch of garlic"small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude snuff - a pinch of smokeless tobacco inhaled at a single time | |
| 4. |  pinch - a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action; "he never knew what to do in an emergency"crisis - a crucial stage or turning point in the course of something; "after the crisis the patient either dies or gets better" | |
| 5. |  pinch - a small sharp bite or snip | |
| 6. |  pinch - a squeeze with the fingers | |
| 7. |  pinch - the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal); "the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar" | |
| Verb | 1. |  pinch - squeeze tightly between the fingers; "He pinched her behind"; "She squeezed the bottle"grip - hold fast or firmly; "He gripped the steering wheel" goose - pinch in the buttocks; "he goosed the unsuspecting girl" tweak - pinch or squeeze sharply |
| 2. | pinch - make ridges into by pinching together fold, fold up, turn up - bend or lay so that one part covers the other; "fold up the newspaper"; "turn up your collar" flute - form flutes in | |
| 3. |  pinch - make off with belongings of others steal - take without the owner's consent; "Someone stole my wallet on the train"; "This author stole entire paragraphs from my dissertation" | |
| 4. |  pinch - cut the top off; "top trees and bushes"prune, snip, lop, cut back, clip, crop, trim, dress - cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of; "dress the plants in the garden" tail - remove the stalk of fruits or berries | |
| 5. | pinch - irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear; "smooth surfaces can vellicate the teeth"; "the pain is as if sharp points pinch your back" irritate - excite to some characteristic action or condition, such as motion, contraction, or nervous impulse, by the application of a stimulus; "irritate the glands of a leaf" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
pinch
verb
noun
2. dash, bit, taste, mite, jot, speck, small quantity, smidgen (informal), soupçon (French) a pinch of salt
3. emergency, crisis, difficulty, plight, scrape (informal), strait, uphill (S. African), predicament, extremity, hardship I'd trust her in a pinch.
at a pinch if necessary, with difficulty, if need(s) be, just possibly, in a pinch (U.S. & Canad.), at a push (Brit. informal) This recipe serves two, or three at a pinch.
feel the pinch suffer hardship, be poor, be impoverished, be short of money, have less money, suffer poverty The first few months of paying a mortgage is the period when most people feel the pinch.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
pinch
verb1. To be severely sparing in order to economize:
Idioms: pinch pennies, tighten (one's) belt.
2. Slang. To take (another's property) without permission:
Idiom: make off with.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
قَرْصَه بإصْبَعَيْنمِقْدار صَغير، قَبْضَهيُؤْلِم، يوجِعيَسْرق، يَخْتَلِسيَقْرُص بَين الأبْهام والسَّبّابَه
štípnouttlačitšpetkaštípanec
klemmeniveanelsehuggeklem
nipistää
uštipnuti
csipetmegcsípés
klípaklípa, klípingkreppa aîstela
つねる
...을 꼬집다
suvargęssužnybtisužvarbęsturėti susiveržti diržąŽiupsnelis
iekniebtkniebienskniebtnočieptnozagt
uštipnúť
priščipnitiščepecuščipuščipniti
nypa
หยิก
cấu
pinch
[pɪntʃ]A. N
1. (with fingers) → pellizco m
to give sb a pinch on the arm → dar a algn un pellizco en el brazo, pellizcar el brazo a algn
to give sb a pinch on the arm → dar a algn un pellizco en el brazo, pellizcar el brazo a algn
B. VT
1. (with fingers) → pellizcar; [shoe] → apretar
to pinch one's finger in the door → pillarse el dedo en la puerta
to pinch off or out or back a bud → arrancar un brote con los dedos
to pinch one's finger in the door → pillarse el dedo en la puerta
to pinch off or out or back a bud → arrancar un brote con los dedos
2. (= steal) → robar, birlar, guindar (Sp)
I had my pen pinched → me robaron la pluma, me birlaron la pluma
he pinched that idea from Shaw → esa idea la robó de Shaw
he pinched Mike's girl → le pisó or levantó la novia a Mike
I had my pen pinched → me robaron la pluma, me birlaron la pluma
he pinched that idea from Shaw → esa idea la robó de Shaw
he pinched Mike's girl → le pisó or levantó la novia a Mike
3. (= arrest) → pescar, coger, agarrar (LAm)
he got pinched for a parking offence → lo pescaron en una infracción de aparcamiento, le metieron un paquete por aparcamiento indebido
he got pinched for a parking offence → lo pescaron en una infracción de aparcamiento, le metieron un paquete por aparcamiento indebido
C. VI [shoe] → apretar
to pinch and scrape → privarse de lo necesario
they pinched and scraped to send her to college → se privaron de muchas cosas para poder enviarla a la universidad
to pinch and scrape → privarse de lo necesario
they pinched and scraped to send her to college → se privaron de muchas cosas para poder enviarla a la universidad
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
pinch
[ˈpɪntʃ] n
(with fingers) → pincement m
to give sb a pinch → pincer qn
at a pinch (British) (= if absolutely necessary) → à la rigueur
in a pinch (US) (= if absolutely necessary) → à la rigueur
to be in a pinch (= in a difficult situation) → être dans le pétrin
to be feeling the pinch (= suffer financially) [company] → souffrir financièrement
to give sb a pinch → pincer qn
at a pinch (British) (= if absolutely necessary) → à la rigueur
in a pinch (US) (= if absolutely necessary) → à la rigueur
to be in a pinch (= in a difficult situation) → être dans le pétrin
to be feeling the pinch (= suffer financially) [company] → souffrir financièrement
[salt, spice] → pincée f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
pinch
n
vt
(with fingers) → kneifen, zwicken; (with implement: = squeeze) end of wire etc → zusammendrücken, zusammenklemmen; (shoe) → drücken; to pinch somebody’s bottom → jdn in den Hintern kneifen; to pinch oneself → sich kneifen; to pinch one’s finger in the door → sich (dat) → den Finger in der Tür (ein)klemmen
(Brit inf: = steal) → klauen, stibitzen, mopsen (all inf); don’t let anyone pinch my seat → pass auf, dass mir niemand den Platz wegnimmt; he pinched Johnny’s girlfriend → er hat Johnny (dat) → die Freundin ausgespannt (inf); he pinched that idea from Shaw → die Idee hat er bei Shaw geklaut (inf); I had my car pinched → mein Auto ist geklaut worden (inf)
vi
(shoe, also fig) → drücken
to pinch and scrape → sich einschränken
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
pinch
[pɪntʃ]1. n
a. (with fingers) → pizzicotto, pizzico
to feel the pinch (fig) → trovarsi nelle ristrettezze
at a pinch (fig) → se è proprio necessario
if it comes to the pinch → se le cose si mettono male
to feel the pinch (fig) → trovarsi nelle ristrettezze
at a pinch (fig) → se è proprio necessario
if it comes to the pinch → se le cose si mettono male
2. vt
c. (fam) (arrest) → pizzicare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
pinch
(pintʃ) verb1. to squeeze or press tightly (flesh), especially between the thumb and forefinger. He pinched her arm.
2. to hurt by being too small or tight. My new shoes are pinching (me).
3. to steal. Who pinched my bicycle?
noun1. an act of pinching; a squeeze or nip. He gave her a pinch on the cheek.
2. a very small amount; what can be held between the thumb and forefinger. a pinch of salt.
pinched adjective (of a person's face) looking cold, pale or thin because of cold, poverty etc. Her face was pinched with cold.
feel the pinch to be in difficulty because of lack of money.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
pinch
→ يَقْرِصّ štípnout klemme kneifen τσιμπώ pellizcar nipistää pincer uštipnuti pizzicare つねる ...을 꼬집다 knijpen klype uszczypnąć beliscar зажимать nypa หยิก çimdiklemek cấu 掐Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
pinch
n. pellizco;
v. pellizcar; comprimir, apretar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
pinch
vt, vi (to bind) apretar; (a nerve) comprimir, atraparEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.