pinch

verb

/pɪntʃ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they pinch	/pɪntʃ/ /pɪntʃ/
he / she / it pinches	/ˈpɪntʃɪz/ /ˈpɪntʃɪz/
past simple pinched	/pɪntʃt/ /pɪntʃt/
past participle pinched	/pɪntʃt/ /pɪntʃt/
-ing form pinching	/ˈpɪntʃɪŋ/ /ˈpɪntʃɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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press

[transitive] pinch somebody/something/yourself to take a piece of somebody’s skin and press it together hard with your thumb and the finger next to it

My sister's always pinching me and it really hurts.
He pinched the baby's cheek playfully.
(figurative) She had to pinch herself to make sure she was not dreaming.
He pinched me sharply on the arm.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

gently
lightly
playfully
…

preposition

between
on

See full entry

[transitive] pinch something (+ adv./prep.) to hold something tightly between the thumb and finger or between two things that are pressed together

Pinch the nostrils together between your thumb and finger to stop the bleeding.
a pinched nerve in the neck

Extra Examples

Apply pressure to the nose by pinching the nostrils firmly together.
He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

gently
lightly
playfully
…

preposition

between
on

See full entry

[intransitive, transitive] to place the thumb and a finger of one hand on the screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or small computer and move them together or apart, to make the image on the screen appear smaller or larger

You can pinch and zoom in.

of a shoe

[intransitive, transitive] pinch (somebody/something) if something such as a shoe pinches part of your body, it hurts you because it is too tight

These new shoes pinch.
My shoes were pinching badly.

steal

[transitive] pinch something (from somebody/something) (British English, informal) to steal something, especially something small and not very valuable synonym nick

Kids have been pinching our apples again.
Who's pinched my pen?

Topics Crime and punishmentc1

cost too much

[transitive] pinch somebody/something to cost a person or an organization a lot of money or more than they can spend

Higher interest rates are already pinching the housing industry.

arrest

[transitive] pinch somebody (British English, old-fashioned, informal) to arrest somebody

I was pinched for dangerous driving.

Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from an Old Northern French variant of Old French pincier ‘to pinch’.

Idioms

pinch pennies

(informal) to try to spend as little money as possible

pinch

noun

/pɪntʃ/

Idioms

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act of pressing

an act of pressing a part of somebody’s skin together hard with your thumb and finger, especially in order to hurt them

She gave him a pinch on the arm to wake him up.
He gave her a playful pinch on the cheek.

small amount

the amount of something that you can hold between your finger and thumb

Add a pinch of salt to the mixture and stir well.
a pinch of cayenne pepper/cinnamon/curry powder/ground ginger/nutmeg/paprika/snuff

Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from an Old Northern French variant of Old French pincier ‘to pinch’.

Idioms

at a pinch (British English)

(North American English in a pinch)

used to say that something could be done or used in a particular situation if it is really necessary
- We can get six people round this table at a pinch.
- The recipe is for beef, but at a pinch you could use chicken.

feel the pinch

(informal) to not have enough money
- Lots of people who have lost their jobs are starting to feel the pinch.

take something with a pinch of salt

(North American English also take something with a grain of salt)

to be careful about believing that something is completely true
- If I were you, I’d take everything he says with a pinch of salt.