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1. Very thin especially from disease, hunger or cold
   "small pinched faces";
   - cadaverous, emaciated, gaunt, haggard, skeletal, wasted
    
2. Not having enough money to pay for necessities
   "The pinched gentlemen asked for a loan";
   - hard up, impecunious, in straitened circumstances, penniless, penurious, badly-off
    
3. As if squeezed uncomfortably tight
   "her pinched toes in her pointed shoes were killing her"
    
4. Sounding as if the nose were pinched
   "a whining pinched voice";
   - adenoidal, nasal

1. Press tightly between the fingers
   "He pinched her behind";
   - squeeze, twinge, tweet, nip, twitch
    
2. Make ridges into by pinching together
   - crimp
    
3. [Brit, informal] Take by theft
   - hook [informal], snitch [informal], thieve, cop [informal], knock off [informal], glom [N. Amer, informal], pilfer, cabbage [informal], purloin, abstract, snarf [N. Amer, informal], swipe [informal], sneak [informal], filch [informal], nobble [Brit, informal], lift, whip [Brit, informal], nick [Brit, informal], snatch [informal], blag [Brit, informal]
    
4. Cut the top off
   - top
    
5. Irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear
   "the pain is as if sharp points pinch your back";
   - vellicate
    
6. [Brit, informal] Take into custody
   "the police pinched the suspected criminals";
   - collar [informal], nail [informal], apprehend, arrest, pick up, nab [informal], cop [informal], nick [Brit, informal]
    
7. Be frugal or miserly
   "Don't pinch on health insurance"
    
8. Feel the effect of straitened circumstance (e.g. lack of money)
   "Staffing and budget levels were pinched by the recession"

See also: constricted, high, high-pitched, lean, meager [N. Amer], meagre [Brit, Cdn], poor, thin

Type of: clip, clutch, crop, cut back, dress, fold, fold up, grip, irritate, lop, prehend [archaic], prune, rip [N. Amer, informal], rip off [informal], seize, snip, steal, trim, turn up

Encyclopedia: Pinched