Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,504,654,624 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

pinch

   Also found in: Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.08 sec.
pinch  (pnch)
v. pinched, pinch·ing, pinch·es
v.tr.
1. To squeeze between the thumb and a finger, the jaws of a tool, or other edges.
2. To squeeze or bind (a part of the body) in a way that causes discomfort or pain: 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 straiten: "A year and a half of the blockade has pinched Germany" (William L. Shirer).
5. Slang To take (money or property) unlawfully. 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 be miserly.
3. 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. A painful, difficult, or straitened circumstance: 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
Relating to pinch-hitting or pinch runners: a pinch single; a pinch steal of third base.
Idiom:
pinch pennies Informal
To be thrifty or miserly.

[Middle English pinchen, from Old North French *pinchier, variant of Old French pincier, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *pnctire.]

pinch
Verb
1. to squeeze (something, esp. flesh) between a finger and thumb
2. to squeeze by being too tight: shoes that pinch
3. to cause stinging pain to: the cold pinched his face
4. to make thin or drawn-looking, such as from grief or cold
5. Informal to steal
6. Informal to arrest
7. (usually foll. by out, back)to remove the tips of (a plant shoot) to correct or encourage growth
Noun
1. a squeeze or sustained nip
2. the quantity that can be taken up between a thumb and finger: a pinch of ground ginger
3. extreme stress or need: most companies are feeling the pinch of recession
4. at a pinch if absolutely necessary
5. feel the pinch to be forced to economize [probably from Old French]

Pinch a very small quantity.
Examples: pinch of pleasure, 1583; of salt; of snuff, 1712; of fresh tea, 1840.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.pinchpinch - 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
harm, hurt, injury, trauma - any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
3.pinchpinch - 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.pinchpinch - 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.pinchpinch - a small sharp bite or snip          
snip, clipping, clip - the act of clipping or snipping
chomp, bite - the act of gripping or chewing off with the teeth and jaws
6.pinchpinch - a squeeze with the fingers          
squeeze, squeezing - the act of gripping and pressing firmly; "he gave her cheek a playful squeeze"
7.pinchpinch - the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal); "the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar"
capture, gaining control, seizure - the act of forcibly dispossessing an owner of property
Verb1.pinchpinch - 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.pinchpinch - 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"

pinch
verb 3. Brit. (informal) steal, rob, snatch, lift (informal) nick (slang), chiefly Brit. swipe (slang) knock off (slang) blag (slang) pilfer, snitch (slang) purloin, filch, snaffle Brit. (informal)
noun 4. nip, squeeze, tweak
noun 5. dash, bit, taste, mite, jot, speck, small quantity, smidgen (informal) soupçon (French)
Translations
pinch [pɪntʃ] npellizco; [of salt etc] → pizca
vtpellizcar;
(col) (= steal); birlar
vi [shoe] → apretar;
at a pinch → en caso de apuro;
to feel the pinch (fig) → pasar apuros or estrecheces

pinch [pɪntʃ] npincement m [of salt etc]; pincée f
vtpincer;
(inf) (= steal); piquer, chiper
vi [shoe] → serrer;
at a pinch → à la rigueur;
to feel the pinch (fig) → se ressentir des restrictions (or de la récession etc)

pinch [pɪntʃ] n [of salt etc] → Prise f
vt (with finger and thumb) → zwicken, kneifen;
(inf) (= steal); klauen
vi [shoe] → drücken;
at a pinch → zur Not;
to feel the pinch (fig) → die schlechte Lage zu spüren bekommen

pinch [pɪntʃ] npizzicotto, pizzico
vtpizzicare;
(col) (= steal); grattare
vi [shoe] → stringere;
at a pinch → in caso di bisogno;
to feel the pinch (fig) → trovarsi nelle ristrettezze

pinch
v pinch [pintʃ]
1 to squeeze or press tightly (flesh), especially between the thumb and forefinger He pinched her arm. knyp يَقْرُص بَين الأبْهام والسَّبّابَه щипя štípnout nive; klemme zwicken τσιμπώ, σφίγγω pellizcar näpistama نیشگون گرفتن nipistää pincer לִצבוֹט निचोड़ना, ऐंठना štipati,uštipnuti (meg)csíp mencubit klípa pizzicare つねる 꼬집다 įgnybti, (su)žnybti []kniebt mencubit knijpen klype szczypać beliscar a ciupi ущипнуть uštipnúť uščipniti uštinuti nypa หยิก çimdiklemek щипати; прищемити چٹکي لينا véo
2 to hurt by being too small or tight My new shoes are pinching (me). knyp, maak seer يُؤْلِم، يوجِع стискам tlačit klemme drücken σφίγγω λόγω μικρού μεγέθους apretar pigistama فشردن puristaa serrer לִלחוֹץ चिकोटी काटना prignječiti szorít menjepit kreppa að stringere 締めつける 꽉 끼다, 죄다 spausti spiest menggigit knellen klemme, trykke uwierać apertar a strânge жать tlačiť tiščati stezati klämma, sitta åt รัดแน่น vurmak 夾痛 стискати; мулити زخمي کرنا bó chặt
3 to steal Who pinched my bicycle? steel يَسْرق، يَخْتَلِس открадвам štípnout (ukrást) hugge klauen κλέβω robar, birlar näppama دزیدن kähveltää piquer לִסחוֹב चोरी करना ukrasti (el)lop mencuri stela rubare 盗む 훔치다 nukniaukti nozagt; nočiept mencuri jatten rappe, knabbe zwędzić roubar a şter­peli стащить potiahnuť suniti ukrasti knycka ขโมย aşırmak, yürütmek 盜竊 вкрасти; пограбувати چوري کرنا ăn cắp
n
1 an act of pinching; a squeeze or nip He gave her a pinch on the cheek. knyp قَرْصَه بإصْبَعَيْن щипване štípanec klem das Zwicken τσιμπιά pellizco näpistus نیشگون nipistys pincement צְבִיטָה चिकोटी uštipnuti (za lice) megcsípés cubitan klípa, klíping pizzico つねり 꼬집음 gnybis, žnybtelėjimas kniebiens cubitan kneep klyp uszczypnięcie beliscão ciupitură щипок štípanec uščip štipanje nyp, nypning การหยิก çimdik щипок چٹکي cái véo
2 a very small amount; what can be held between the thumb and forefinger a pinch of salt. knippie مِقْدار صَغير، قَبْضَه щипка špetka anelse die Prise πρέζα, πολύ μικρή ποσότητα pizca näputäis کمی؛ به قدر یک سر انگشت hyppysellinen pincée קַמצוּץ चुटकी भर soli koliko se uhvati sa dva prsta csipet(nyi) sejimpit klípa pizzico 少量 조금, 소량 žiupsn(el)is šķipsniņa secubit snuifje klype szczypta pitada vârf de cuţit; pic щепотка štipka ščepec prstohvat nypa จำนวนน้อยมาก bir tutam [一]撮 пучка چٹکي بھر، ذرا سا nhúm]撮
adj pinched
(of a person's face) looking cold, pale or thin because of cold, poverty etc Her face was pinched with cold. gekwel مَقْروص، مَلْسوع، مُصاب изпит ztrhaný hærget; udmagret abgehärmt ταλαιπωρημένος con la cara pálida (külmast) näpistatud تکیده؛ واپیچیده pakkasen purema, riutunut aux traits tirés פָּנִים חִיוורוֹת וּכחוּשוֹת अभावग्रस्त pomodrio od studeni elgyötört (arc) kurus sem setur mark sitt á andlit tirato, emaciato ゆがんだ 초췌한 suþvarbæs, sumenkæs, suvargæs vājš; izģindis; sarāvies cengkung gekweld, verkleumd blek og medtatt ściągnięty chupado zbârcit продрогший; истощённый strhaný shiran bled plågad, härjad, infallen, tärd ซีดเซียว süzülmüş, solmuş 憔悴的 затиснений مرجھايا ہوا، پژمردہ phờ phạc 悴的
feel the pinch
to be in difficulty because of lack of money. geld kort يَشْعُر بالصُّعوبَه، يَحِس بِقَسْوَة в затруднено положение съм být na suchu være i bekneb unter Gelddruck sein έχω οικονομικά προβλήματα pasar apuros, pasar estrecheces kitsikuses olema از لحاظ مالی در مضیقه بودن olla rahapulassa être serré זָקוּק לְכֶסֶף धन की कमी से मुश्किल का सामना करना u novčanoj neprilici pénzzavarban van mendapat kesusahan karena kekurangan uang vera í fjárhagskröggum (essere in ristrettezze) 金に困る 돈에 쪼들려 고통을 당하다 turėti susiveržti diržą būt naudas grūtībās kesempitan wang in financi{#225}{#137}{#225}le moeilijkheden komen kjenne trykket/at det kniper musieć zaciskać pasa estar num aperto a fi strâmtorat/la ananghie испытывать денежные затруднения byť na suchu, mať nedostatok biti v denarnih težavah imati novčanih problema känna pressen (trycket) av fattigdom อัตคัดขัดสน parasızlık çekmek 窘迫 бути в скруті غربت کي وجہ سے مشکل ميں ہونا túng thiếu 窘迫


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Mortals are easily tempted to pinch the life out of their neighbor's buzzing glory, and think that such killing is no murder.
You promised not to pinch if I would carry you here
The Marquis took a gentle little pinch of snuff, and shook his head; as elegantly despondent as he could becomingly be of a country still containing himself, that great means of regeneration.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.