Pinch | Mean of pinch in English Dictionary

/ˈpɪntʃ/

• Verb
• to squeeze (someone's skin) between your thumb and finger often in a painful way
1. My little brother is always trying to pinch me.
2. He pinched her cheeks and told her how cute she was.
3. It was all so beautiful I had to pinch myself [=I had to remind myself that it was real] to be sure I wasn't dreaming.
4. Pinch me. [=I can't believe this is happening]
• to squeeze or press (something) together with your thumb and finger
1. Pinch together the edges of the dough.
2. He pinched the top of his nose to stop the bleeding and leaned forward.
• to remove (part of a plant) by squeezing with your thumb and finger
1. He pinched off/out the top of the shoots.
2. She pinched back the new growth.

• to press against or squeeze (a part of the body) in a painful way
1. These new shoes are pinching my toes.
2. I pinched my fingers in the door.
3. He had a pinched nerve [=a nerve pressed against a bone in the neck in a painful way] in his neck.
4. These shoes pinch.
• to be very careful about spending money
1. By pinching and scraping, she managed to save enough money to buy a new car.
• to steal (something)
1. Someone pinched her purse.
2. The material was pinched [=lifted] from another book.
• to arrest (someone)
1. He was pinched for speeding.
• to cause financial problems for (someone or something)
1. Many people are now being/feeling pinched [=squeezed] by high gasoline prices.
2. The recession is pinching the pocketbooks of many people.
• to reduce or limit (something) in a way that causes problems
1. The trade embargo drove up prices and pinched supplies.
• Noun
• the act of pinching someone or something
1. He gave me a pinch on the cheek. [=he pinched my cheek]
• the amount of something that can be held between your finger and thumb
1. Add a pinch of salt to the soup.
2. He took a pinch of snuff.
• to experience the problems caused by not having enough money or by paying higher costs
1. The family began to feel the pinch after the mother lost her job.
2. We are starting to feel the pinch of high fuel costs.
• in a bad situation when help is needed
1. I can help out in a pinch if you need a babysitter.
2. In a pinch, you can substitute another ingredient in the recipe.
3. She can be resourceful in a pinch. [=in an emergency]
• used as a substitute for another player
1. a pinch runner [=a player who enters a game as a runner in place of another player]
• made by a pinch hitter
1. A pinch homer won the game.
2. a pinch hit