pinch

verb

/pɪntʃ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they pinch	/pɪntʃ/ /pɪntʃ/
he / she / it pinches	/ˈpɪntʃɪz/ /ˈpɪntʃɪz/
past simple pinched	/pɪntʃt/ /pɪntʃt/
past participle pinched	/pɪntʃt/ /pɪntʃt/
-ing form pinching	/ˈpɪntʃɪŋ/ /ˈpɪntʃɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

press

[transitive] pinch somebody/something/yourself to take a piece of somebody’s skin and press it together hard with your thumb and the finger next to it拧；捏；掐

My sister's always pinching me and it really hurts.我姐姐老拧我，真的很痛。
He pinched the baby's cheek playfully.他捏着宝宝的脸颊逗着玩。
(figurative) She had to pinch herself to make sure she was not dreaming.她不得不掐一下自己，以确定自己不是在做梦。
He pinched me sharply on the arm.他用力掐我的胳膊。

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

gently
lightly
playfully
…

preposition

between
on

[transitive] pinch something (+ adv./prep.) to hold something tightly between the thumb and finger or between two things that are pressed together捏住；夹紧

Pinch the nostrils together between your thumb and finger to stop the bleeding.用手指捏住鼻孔止血。
a pinched nerve in the neck脖子上一条被挤压的神经

Extra Examples

Apply pressure to the nose by pinching the nostrils firmly together.紧捏鼻孔，使鼻子受压。
He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger.他用拇指和食指捏住了叶子。

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

gently
lightly
playfully
…

preposition

between
on

[intransitive, transitive] to place the thumb and a finger of one hand on the screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or small computer and move them together or apart, to make the image on the screen appear smaller or larger（在手机等电子装置上）两指张合以放大（或缩小）图像

You can pinch and zoom in.您可以捏合并放大。

see also flick, spread, tapTopics Computersc1

of a shoe

[intransitive, transitive] pinch (somebody/something) if something such as a shoe pinches part of your body, it hurts you because it is too tight夹（脚）；夹痛

These new shoes pinch.这双新鞋夹脚。
My shoes were pinching badly.我的鞋很挤脚。

steal

[transitive] pinch something (from somebody/something) (British English, informal) to steal something, especially something small and not very valuable（尤指）小偷小摸 synonym nick

Kids have been pinching our apples again.孩子们又开始捏我们的苹果了。
Who's pinched my pen?谁拿了我的笔？

Topics Crime and punishmentc1

cost too much

[transitive] pinch somebody/something to cost a person or an organization a lot of money or more than they can spend使花费过多；使入不敷出

Higher interest rates are already pinching the housing industry.提高利率已使住房产业不堪负荷。

arrest

[transitive] pinch somebody (British English, old-fashioned, informal) to arrest somebody逮捕；抓捕

I was pinched for dangerous driving.我因危险驾驶而被抓。

Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from an Old Northern French variant of Old French pincier ‘to pinch’.

Idioms

pinch pennies

(informal) to try to spend as little money as possible一毛不拔；吝啬

pinch

noun

/pɪntʃ/

Idioms

act of pressing

an act of pressing a part of somebody’s skin together hard with your thumb and finger, especially in order to hurt them拧；捏；掐

She gave him a pinch on the arm to wake him up.她拧了一下他的胳膊把他唤醒。
He gave her a playful pinch on the cheek.他开玩笑地捏了捏她的脸颊。

small amount

the amount of something that you can hold between your finger and thumb一撮

Add a pinch of salt to the mixture and stir well.在混合料中加一撮盐，搅拌均匀。
a pinch of cayenne pepper/cinnamon/curry powder/ground ginger/nutmeg/paprika/snuff一撮红辣椒／肉桂／咖喱粉／姜粉／肉豆蔻／红辣椒粉／鼻烟

Word OriginMiddle English (as a verb): from an Old Northern French variant of Old French pincier ‘to pinch’.

Idioms

at a pinch (British English)

(North American English in a pinch)

used to say that something could be done or used in a particular situation if it is really necessary必要时；不得已时
- We can get six people round this table at a pinch.必要时，这张桌子可以坐六个人。
- The recipe is for beef, but at a pinch you could use chicken.食谱是牛肉，但必要时你也可以用鸡肉。

feel the pinch

(informal) to not have enough money手头拮据；经济困难
- Lots of people who have lost their jobs are starting to feel the pinch.大量失业者开始感到日子不好过了。

take something with a pinch of salt

(North American English also take something with a grain of salt)

to be careful about believing that something is completely true不完全相信；半信半疑
- If I were you, I’d take everything he says with a pinch of salt.如果我是你，我会对他所说的一切持保留态度。