Pinch Meaning
/pɪnt͡ʃ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.
verbTo squeeze between the thumb and forefinger.
Sentence Examples
How careless he was to pinch his fingers in the door!
The new shoes pinch my feet.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He gave her arm a hard ____ to get her attention during the movie.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She added a ____ of salt to the boiling water before dropping in the pasta.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He took the plate in his hand, holding it between thumb and forefinger at one corner, letting it hang down. With the other hand he pinched it at the opposite corner, pressing thumb and forefinger together tightly."
— 2014, Harlan Ellison, Paingod and Other Delusions, →ISBN:
"Since the resistance of the channel is inversely proportional to its width, the most resistive region is the one pinched between the gates where they come closest to each other."
— 2012, Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Physics of Nanostructured Solid State Devices, →ISBN, page 446:
"With their jock-straps pinching, they slouch to attention
While queueing for sarnies at the office canteen."
— 1972, “Thick As A Brick”, Ian Anderson (lyrics), performed by Jethro Tull:
"“Hey, blokes,” yelled Dean or perhaps Serge, “let's pinch a boat.”"
— 1966 March, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 3, in The Crying of Lot 49, New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books, published November 1976, →ISBN, page 37:
"Then, as the Sunderland fans' cheers bellowed around the stadium, United's title bid was over when it became apparent City had pinched a last-gasp winner to seal their first title in 44 years."
— 2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He gave her arm a hard ____ to get her attention during the movie.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She added a ____ of salt to the boiling water before dropping in the pasta.