1 [+ obj] a : to squeeze (someone's skin) between your thumb and finger often in a painful way
▪ My little brother is always trying to pinch me. ▪ He pinched her cheeks and told her how cute she was. — often used figuratively ▪ It was all so beautiful I had to pinch myself [=I had to remind myself that it was real] to be sure I wasn't dreaming. ▪ Pinch me. [=I can't believe this is happening]
b : to squeeze or press (something) together with your thumb and finger
▪ Pinch together the edges of the dough. ▪ He pinched the top of his nose to stop the bleeding and leaned forward.
c : to remove (part of a plant) by squeezing with your thumb and finger
▪ He pinched off/out the top of the shoots. ▪ She pinched back the new growth. 2 : to press against or squeeze (a part of the body) in a painful way [+ obj] ▪ These new shoes are pinching my toes. ▪ I pinched my fingers in the door. ▪ He had a pinched nerve [=a nerve pressed against a bone in the neck in a painful way] in his neck. [no obj] ▪ These shoes pinch. 3 [no obj] : to be very careful about spending money : to spend as little money as possible
▪ By pinching and scraping, she managed to save enough money to buy a new car. — see also pinch pennies (below) 4 [+ obj] chiefly Brit, informal : to steal (something)
▪ Someone pinched her purse. ▪ The material was pinched [=lifted] from another book. 5 [+ obj] informal + old-fashioned : to arrest (someone) — often + for ▪ He was pinched for speeding. 6 [+ obj] chiefly US, informal a : to cause financial problems for (someone or something)
▪ Many people are now being/feeling pinched [=squeezed] by high gasoline prices. ▪ The recession is pinching the pocketbooks of many people.
b : to reduce or limit (something) in a way that causes problems
▪ The trade embargo drove up prices and pinched supplies.