I. ˈpinch verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French * pincher, pincer
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to squeeze between the finger and thumb or between the jaws of an instrument
b. : to prune the tip of (a plant or shoot) usually to induce branching
c. : to squeeze or compress painfully
d. : to cause physical or mental pain to
e.
(1) : to cause to appear thin, haggard, or shrunken
(2) : to cause to shrivel or wither
2.
a. : to subject to strict economy or want : straiten
b. : to restrain or limit narrowly : constrict
3.
a. : steal
b. : arrest
4. : to sail too close to the wind
intransitive verb
1. : compress , squeeze
2. : to be miserly or closefisted
3. : to press painfully
4. : narrow , taper
the road pinch ed down to a trail — Cecelia Holland
•
- pinch pennies
II. noun
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : a critical juncture : emergency
b.
(1) : pressure , stress
(2) : hardship , privation
c. : deficit
2.
a. : an act of pinching : squeeze
b. : as much as may be taken between the finger and thumb
a pinch of snuff
c. : a very small amount
3. : a marked thinning of a vein or bed
4.
a. : theft
b. : a police raid ; also : arrest
Synonyms: see juncture
III. adjective
Date: 1912
1. : substitute
pinch runner
2. : hit by a pinch hitter
a pinch homer