to squeeze (something) tightly and usu painfully between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument
to squeeze or compress (something) painfully
These shoes pinch my toes
informal to steal (something)
slang said of the police: to arrest (somebody)
to cause physical or mental pain to (somebody or something)
(usu in passive) to cause (somebody, esp their face) to appear thin or shrunken
to cause (a plant, etc) to shrivel or wither
(usu + back/off/out) to prune the tip of (a plant or shoot), usu to correct growth or induce branching
to subject (somebody) to strict economy or deprivation
to sail (a ship) too close to the wind
to be too tight, esp painfully so
My new shoes pinch
to be frugal
They have to pinch and save to live
said of a ship: to sail too close to the wind