Meaning

14 senses

  1. To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.

    The children were scolded for pinching each other.

    This shoe pinches my foot.

    kneifen, zwicken

    щипа́тьščipátʹ, ущипну́тьuščipnútʹ, прищемля́тьpriščemljátʹ

    щипа́тиščypáty, ущипну́тиuščypnúty

  2. To squeeze between the thumb and forefinger.

    squeeze tightly between the fingers

  3. To squeeze between two objects.

  4. (intransitive)Of clothing, to be uncomfortably tight in specific spots.

  5. (slang, transitive)To steal, usually something inconsequential.

    Someone has pinched my handkerchief!

    stehlen, abpressen, entwenden

    стащи́тьstaščítʹ, сты́ритьstýritʹ, спи́здитьspízditʹ

  6. (slang, transitive)To arrest or capture.

    schnappen, erwischen

    аресто́выватьarestóvyvatʹ, арестова́тьarestovátʹ, схва́тыватьsxvátyvatʹ

  7. To cut shoots or buds of a plant in order to shape the plant, or to improve its yield.

  8. To sail so close-hauled that the sails begin to flutter.

  9. To take hold; to grip, as a dog does.

  10. To seize; to grip; to bite.

  11. (figuratively)To cramp; to straiten; to oppress; to starve.

    to be pinched for money

  12. To move, as a railroad car, by prying the wheels with a pinch.

Examples

114 sentences

  1. She pinched him.

    Вона його вщипнула.

    ruОна его ущипнула.

    deSie hat ihn gekniffen.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. Tom pinched Mary.

    Том ущипнув Мері.

    ruТом ущипнул Мэри.

    deTom zwickte Mary.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. This will do in a pinch.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. He appeared as a pinch hitter in the game.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to squeeze a small amount of skin:
Русский
By meaning 3
to squeeze a small amount of skin:
to steal:
to arrest or capture:
Deutsch
By meaning 3
to squeeze a small amount of skin:
to steal:
to arrest or capture:

Origin

From Middle English pinchen, from Old Northern French *pinchier (compare Old French pincie

From Middle English pinchen, from Old Northern French *pinchier (compare Old French pincier, pincer (“to pinch”)), a word of uncertain origin, possibly from Vulgar Latin *pinciāre (“to puncture, pinch”), from a merger of *punctiāre (“to puncture, sting”), from Latin punctiō (“a puncture, prick”) and *piccāre (“to strike, sting”), from Frankish *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to pick, peck, prick”). More at point, pick and pitch.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

pinches, pinching, pinched, pinched
Base formpinch · to pinch
3rd person singularpinches
Present participlepinching
Past simplepinched
Past participlepinched

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theypinch
he, she, itpinches

Past simpleLesson

all personspinched

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave pinched
he, she, ithas pinched

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill pinch

Phrasal verbs

2 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

141 synonyms
stealA2abstractB1appropriateA2bagA1boneA1boostB2burgleB2borrowA1cheatB2convertB2copA1liberateB1liftB1millB2
Close in meaning

Word family

22 related words
Derivedapinchbepinchpenny-pinchpinchabilitypinchablepinch atpinch-belly vengeancepinchcockpincherpinch-eyedpinchfistpinchfistedpinch-me momentpinch-me-roundpinch-nose glassespinch offpinch outpinch penniespinchpennysquinchtopinchunpinch

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
pinballpincerpincherpineB2pineappleB1
pinch — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto