Pinch — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈpinch/

Meaning & Definition of Pinch

Pinch (verb)

  1. to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument
  2. to prune the tip of (a plant or shoot) usually to induce branching
  3. to squeeze or compress painfully

Pinch (noun)

  1. a critical juncture, emergency
  2. pressure, stress
  3. hardship, privation

Pinch (adjective)

  1. substitute
  2. hit by a pinch hitter

Pinch (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an instance of theft

    "the pinch of my favorite sweater really bugged me!"

    similar: grab, heist, rip-off, snatching, swiping, theft
    related: break-in, burglary, holdup, mugging, stickup

  2. the act of taking into one's control by authority of law

    "an innocent person caught up in a city-wide pinch of drug dealers"

    similar: apprehension, arrest, arrestment, bust (slang), collar
    related: raid, house arrest, capture, entrapment, seizure, captivity, confinement, detention, enchainment, hold, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, restraint, rearrest, remand
    opposite: discharge
    near: emancipation, liberation, release

  3. a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number

    "this labor pinch means that there'll be long lines at the checkouts"

    similar: crunch, dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought, failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want
    related: absence, omission, meagerness, poorness, skimpiness, necessity, need, privation
    opposite: abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth
    near: bountifulness, copiousness, excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus

Pinch (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to squeeze tightly between two surfaces, edges, or points

    "the zipper on those jeans always pinches me"

    similar: nip
    related: crimp, tweak, clasp, clutch, grasp, grip, hold, take
    near: drop, free, loose, loosen, release, spring

  2. to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

    "pinched the earrings while the boutique owner was distracted by another customer"

    similar: appropriate, boost (slang), filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick (British slang), nip, pilfer, pocket, purloin, rip off, snitch, steal, swipe, thieve, make away with, make off with, run off with, walk off with
    related: burglarize, knock over, rob, loot, pillage, plunder, sack, carjack, hijack, pick, rifle, poach, rustle, shoplift, collar, grab, grasp, nail, seize, snatch, take, mooch, sponge, abduct, kidnap, shanghai, spirit
    near: buy, purchase, bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present

  3. 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"

    similar: apprehend, arrest, bust (slang), collar, nab, nail, nick (British slang), pick up, pull in, restrain, run in, seize
    related: bag, capture, catch, get, grab, grapple, hook, land, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap, commit, confine, detain, hold, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, jug, lock (up), bind, enchain, fetter, handcuff, manacle, shackle, trammel, rearrest, remand
    opposite: discharge
    near: emancipate, free, liberate, loose, loosen, release, spring, unbind, unchain

  4. to avoid unnecessary waste or expense

    "if we pinch hard for the upcoming year, we can probably afford the vacation at that fancy resort"

    similar: economize, save, scrimp, skimp, spare, pinch pennies
    related: conserve, husband, maintain, manage, preserve, scrape, cut back, cut down, retrench, hoard, lay up
    opposite: waste
    near: blow, dissipate, fritter (away), lavish, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away, splurge

Pinch (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in alternative, alternate

    similar: alternate, alternative, makeshift, new, substitute, substitutive, different, other, separate, extra, spare, improvised, jury, another, second, utility, successive, equivalent
    opposite: original, first, former, equal, identical, same, lasting, permanent

Related Entry: Pinch-hit (verb)

Pinch-hit is a different word from Pinch. The synonyms below are for pinch-hit, not for pinch.

  1. to serve as a replacement usually for a time only

    "assigned to pinch-hit as a math teacher for the remainder of the semester"

    similar: cover, fill in, stand in, step in, sub, substitute, take over
    related: understudy, relieve, spell, double (as)

Related Entry: Pinch hitter (noun)

Pinch hitter is a different word from Pinch. The synonyms below are for pinch hitter, not for pinch.

  1. a person or thing that takes the place of another

    "the business owners brought in a pinch hitter until a permanent manager could be hired"

    similar: backup, cover, designated hitter, fill-in, locum tenens, relief, replacement, reserve, stand-in, sub, substitute
    related: alternate, understudy, apology, makeshift, stopgap, agent, assignee, attorney, commissary, delegate, deputy, envoy, factor, procurator, proxy, rep, representative, surrogate, assistant, reliever, second, successor, superseder

Related Entry: Pinch pennies (phrase)

Pinch pennies is a different word from Pinch. The synonyms below are for pinch pennies, not for pinch.

  1. to avoid unnecessary waste or expense

    "They pinched pennies in order to afford a nice vacation."

    similar: economize, pinch, save, scrimp, skimp, spare
    related: conserve, husband, maintain, manage, preserve, scrape, cut back, cut down, retrench, hoard, lay up
    opposite: waste
    near: blow, dissipate, fritter (away), lavish, misspend, run through, spend, squander, throw away, splurge

Related Entry: Pinch hitters (noun)

Pinch hitters is a different word from Pinch. The synonyms below are for pinch hitters, not for pinch.

  1. a person or thing that takes the place of another

    "the business owners brought in a pinch hitter until a permanent manager could be hired"

    similar: backups, covers, designated hitters, fill-ins, locum tenentes, reliefs, replacements, reserves, stand-ins, subs, substitutes
    related: alternates, understudies, apologies, makeshifts, stopgaps, agents, assignees, attorneys, commissaries, delegates, deputies, envoys, factors, procurators, proxies, representatives, reps, surrogates, assistants, relievers, seconds, successors, superseders

Related Entry: Pinch-hits (verb)

Pinch-hits is a different word from Pinch. The synonyms below are for pinch-hits, not for pinch.

  1. to serve as a replacement usually for a time only

    "assigned to pinch-hit as a math teacher for the remainder of the semester"

    similar: covers, fills in, stands in, steps in, subs, substitutes, takes over
    related: understudies, relieves, spells, doubles (as)

Related Entry: Pinch-hitting (verb)

Pinch-hitting is a different word from Pinch. The synonyms below are for pinch-hitting, not for pinch.

  1. to serve as a replacement usually for a time only

    "assigned to pinch-hit as a math teacher for the remainder of the semester"

    similar: covering, filling in, standing in, stepping in, subbing, substituting, taking over
    related: understudying, relieving, spelling, doubling (as)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Pinch

The most common words with a similar meaning to Pinch:

Slang: bust, boost
British slang: nick
grab, heist, rip-off, snatching, swiping, theft, apprehension, arrest, arrestment, collar, crunch, dearth, deficiency, deficit, drought, failure, famine, inadequacy, inadequateness, insufficiency, lack, lacuna, paucity, poverty, scantiness, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want, nip, appropriate, filch, hook, lift, misappropriate, pilfer, pocket, purloin, rip off

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Pinch

Words with the opposite meaning of Pinch:

discharge, abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty, sufficiency, wealth, waste, original, first, former, equal, identical, same, lasting, permanent

Related Words for Pinch

break-in, burglary, holdup, mugging, stickup, raid, house arrest, capture, entrapment, seizure, captivity, confinement, detention, enchainment, hold, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, restraint, rearrest, remand, absence, omission, meagerness, poorness, skimpiness, necessity, need, privation, crimp

Near Antonyms of Pinch

emancipation, liberation, release, bountifulness, copiousness, excess, overabundance, oversupply, surfeit, surplus, drop, free, loose, loosen, spring, buy, purchase, bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present, emancipate, liberate, unbind, unchain, blow, dissipate, fritter (away)

Word Forms of Pinch

Inflections: pinched, pinching, pinches

Origin & Etymology of Pinch

Middle English, from Anglo-French *pincher, pincer

First known use: 13th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Pinch

pinch bar, pinch-hit, pinch hit, pinch hitter, pinch pennies, pinch me, at a pinch

Frequently Asked Questions about Pinch

What does "Pinch" mean?

"Pinch" means to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Pinch"?

Other words for "Pinch" include grab, heist, rip-off, snatching, swiping, theft, apprehension and arrest. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Pinch" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Pinch"?

There are 175 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Pinch". Common alternatives include grab, heist, rip-off, snatching, swiping, theft, apprehension, arrest, arrestment and bust.

What is a slang word for "Pinch"?

Slang words for "Pinch" include bust, boost and nick.

What is the opposite of "Pinch"?

Antonyms of "Pinch" include discharge, abundance, adequacy, amplitude, opulence, plenitude, plenty and sufficiency. Near antonyms include emancipation, liberation, release and bountifulness.

How do you use "Pinch" in a sentence?

Examples of "Pinch" in a sentence: "the pinch of my favorite sweater really bugged me!"; "an innocent person caught up in a city-wide pinch of drug dealers"; "this labor pinch means that there'll be long lines at the checkouts".

Is "Pinch" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Pinch" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Pinch"?

"Pinch" is pronounced /ˈpinch/.