pinch

/pɪntʃ/ (bre, ipa) · [pˈɪntʃ] /pɪntʃ/ (ame, ipa) · [pˈɪntʃ] /ˈpinch/ (ame, mw)

pinch — 動詞

  • pinchpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • pincheshe / she / it
  • pinchedpast simple
  • pinching-ing form

1. to grip a small bit of skin or other material between your thumb and a finger an

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

捏；夾

用拇指與另一指夾住並用力擠壓

to grip a small bit of skin or other material between your thumb and a finger and squeeze it tightly, often hard enough to hurt.

例句

Maya pinched her little brother's arm under the table when he started giggling.

桌底下，Maya 看弟弟一直偷笑就捏了他手臂一下。

pinch + body part of another person

Grandpa Lin gently pinched my cheek and called me his little tomato.

Lin 爺爺輕輕捏了我的臉頰，叫我他的小番茄。

affectionate pinch + cheek

同義詞
  • nip

    smaller and quicker, often a brief pinch with fingernails

  • tweak

    a quick, light pinch and twist, often playful

  • squeeze

    broader: can use the whole hand, not just thumb and finger

文法句型

pinch + body part

pinch + object

用法筆記

Object is usually a small piece of skin, cloth, or material; the action is brief and uses only the thumb plus one finger, unlike 'grip' or 'grab' which can involve the whole hand.

常見錯誤

❌She pinched the heavy box.
✅She lifted the heavy box.
💡you cannot pinch a large object; pinching uses only thumb and finger on something small or thin.
❌He pinched her on the cheek hardly.
✅He pinched her cheek hard.
💡'hardly' means almost not; use 'hard' for strong force.

2. to squeeze your own skin as a way of testing whether something amazing or strang

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

捏自己確認

捏自己以確認所發生之事是否真實

to squeeze your own skin as a way of testing whether something amazing or strange is really happening rather than a dream.

例句

When Lina won the lottery, she had to pinch herself to believe it was real.

Lina 中樂透時，必須捏一下自己才相信這是真的。

pinch oneself + to believe it was real

Standing on the Eiffel Tower, Marcus kept pinching himself.

站在艾菲爾鐵塔上，Marcus 一直捏自己。

kept pinching oneself for ongoing disbelief

同義詞

文法句型

pinch oneself

用法筆記

Almost always reflexive ('pinch yourself / myself / herself') and used to express disbelief at something wonderful or unbelievable. Distinguish from sense 1: the literal squeezing here is not the point — the point is the speaker's amazement.

常見錯誤

❌I pinched my friend to believe the news.
✅I pinched myself to believe the news.
💡this idiom is reflexive; you check your OWN reality.

3. to take something that belongs to another person without permission, especially

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

偷拿；順走

未經同意拿走他人小東西

to take something that belongs to another person without permission, especially something small or not very expensive.

例句

Some kid pinched my umbrella from the café while I was paying the bill.

我在咖啡廳結帳時，有個小孩順走了我的傘。

pinch + object + from + place

Marcus pinched a few chips off his sister's plate when she looked away.

Marcus 趁姊姊不注意，從她盤子裡偷拿了幾根薯條。

pinch + small food item + off + plate

同義詞
  • nick

    British informal, very close in meaning

  • swipe

    informal, suggests a quick grab

  • steal

    neutral and works for any size of theft

反義詞
  • return

    give back what was taken

文法句型

pinch + object

pinch + object + from + place/person

用法筆記

Mainly British informal. Used for petty, low-stakes theft — small items, snacks, office supplies — not serious crime. For serious or larger theft, use 'steal'.

常見錯誤

❌The robbers pinched a million dollars from the bank.
✅The robbers stole a million dollars from the bank.
💡'pinch' is for small or trivial items; serious theft uses 'steal' or 'rob'.

4. (of a shoe, collar, or similar tight clothing) to press uncomfortably on a part

4.動詞不及物C1
釋義

夾痛；磨腳

鞋子或衣物太緊而壓痛身體

(of a shoe, collar, or similar tight clothing) to press uncomfortably on a part of the body, causing soreness.

例句

These new shoes pinch my toes whenever I walk uphill.

我每次走上坡，這雙新鞋就會夾到腳趾。

shoe + pinches + body part

Sarah's wool collar pinched her neck all through the long ceremony.

Sarah 的羊毛衣領在冗長的典禮上一直磨著她的脖子。

clothing + pinched + body part

同義詞
  • chafe

    rub against the skin and irritate it; not necessarily tight

  • hurt

    more general; pinch is specifically about tightness

反義詞
  • fit

    be the right size and feel comfortable

文法句型

[clothing/shoe] + pinches

[shoe] + pinches + body part

用法筆記

Subject is almost always a shoe, boot, collar, belt, or other piece of clothing that fits too tightly. Often appears without an object ('these shoes pinch'). Distinguish from sense 1, where a person is doing the pinching.

常見錯誤

❌My headache pinches my head.
✅My head is throbbing.
💡for general pain, use 'hurt' or 'ache'; 'pinch' here is specifically about tight clothing.

5. to put a person, household, or company under heavy money pressure by costing far

5.動詞及物C2
釋義

使財務吃緊

讓人或團體在金錢上吃緊難以負擔

to put a person, household, or company under heavy money pressure by costing far above what their budget allows.

例句

Rising fuel prices are pinching small farms across the valley.

上漲的油價正讓山谷裡的小農場大感吃力。

rising prices + pinching + group

The new rent will pinch our family budget badly this winter.

這個冬天，新房租會狠狠壓縮我們家的預算。

the new X will pinch + budget

同義詞
  • squeeze

    very close in financial sense; often used in the noun phrase 'a financial squeeze'

  • strain

    more general pressure, including non-financial

反義詞
  • ease

    make a financial situation lighter

文法句型

pinch + person/organisation

用法筆記

Subject is usually a cost, price, tax, or economic event; object is the person, family, or business under pressure. Closely related to the noun 'feel the pinch'. Distinguish from sense 4: that one is physical (shoes), this one is financial.

常見錯誤

❌Bills pinch me sad.
✅The bills are really pinching us this month.
💡'pinch' here means cause financial strain; do not add an emotion adjective after it.

pinch — 名詞