v. 1 squeeze, nip, tweak, press, compress, grip, grasp I pinched my finger in the drawer 2 squeeze, cramp, confine, crush, hurt These shoes really pinch badly 3 steal, thieve, rob, take, shoplift, filch, pilfer, purloin, Colloq lift, Brit nick, US boost, Slang swipe, knock off I think it was Andrew who pinched my book 4 arrest, apprehend, take into custody, Colloq nab, run in, collar, bust, run in, Brit nick She was pinched for driving while under the influence 5 pinch pennies. scrimp, save, skimp, economize We're pinching pennies now so that we can afford a nice holiday later
n. 6 squeeze, nip, tweak, twinge Montrose gave the girl's cheek an affectionate pinch 7 touch, (tiny or wee) bit, soupçon, jot, mite, taste, Colloq US tad, smidgen or smidgin Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water 8 predicament, emergency, crisis, difficulty, dilemma, (ticklish or delicate) situation, complication, Colloq pickle, jam, scrape, Chiefly Brit crunch Sue will help me out in a pinch