/ pɪntʃ; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
WITH THUMB AND FINGER
1.
[ vn ] to take a piece of sb's skin between your thumb and first finger and squeeze hard, especially to hurt the person :
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.
2.
[ vn ] to hold sth 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
OF A SHOE
3.
if sth such as a shoe pinches part of your body, it hurts you because it is too tight :
[ v ]
These new shoes pinch.
[also vn ]
STEAL
4.
[ vn ] pinch sth (from sb/sth) ( BrE , informal ) to steal sth, especially sth small and not very valuable
SYN nick :
Who's pinched my pen?
COST TOO MUCH
5.
[ vn ] 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
6.
[ vn ] ( old-fashioned , BrE , informal ) to arrest sb :
I was pinched for dangerous driving.
•
IDIOMS
- pinch pennies
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- pinch sth off / out
■ noun
WITH THUMB AND FINGER
1.
an act of squeezing a part of sb's skin tightly between your thumb and finger, especially in order to hurt them :
She gave him a pinch on the arm to wake him up.
SMALL AMOUNT
2.
the amount of sth that you can hold between your finger and thumb :
a pinch of salt
•
IDIOMS
- at a pinch
- take sth with a pinch of salt
—more at feel verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (as a verb): from an Old Northern French variant of Old French pincier to pinch.