1an act of pinching someone:he gave her a gentle pinch
an amount of an ingredient that can be held between fingers and thumb:add a pinch of salt
2 Baseball a critical point in the game.
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Universal
1grip (something, typically a person’s flesh) tightly and sharply between finger and thumb:she pinched his cheek
(of a shoe) hurt (a foot) by being too tight:Mrs Grandison’s pointed, Italian-style shoes were already beginning to pinch her feet [no object]:if your shoes pinch, take them off
compress (one’s lips), especially from worry or tension:Aunt Rose pinched her thin lips together
2 [no object] live in a frugal way:if I scraped and pinched a bit, I might manage
3 informal steal or take without permission:he pinched a handful of sweets
British arrest (someone):I was pinched for dangerous driving last month
4remove (buds or leaves) from a plant to encourage bushy growth:pinch out tips of shoots regularly
5 Sailing sail (a boat) so close to the wind that the sails begin to lose power.
at (or North Americanin) a pinch
if absolutely necessary:the rear will accommodate two adults or three smaller people at a pinch
feel the pinch
experience hardship, especially financial:staff were beginning to feel the pinch as the dispute entered its third week
have to pinch oneself
used to convey that a good situation is so surprising that the person involved has to make sure they are not imagining it:sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize it isn’t all a dream
