Meanings
prepositional phrase
- idiomaticIn an urgent or difficult situation; when no other solution is available.
It's not a great fashion statement, but in a pinch a large trash bag will keep you dry.
Synonyms: when push comes to shove, when the chips are down, when the gloves come off, at a pinch
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseIn an urgent or difficult situation; when no other solution is available.
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Also see
Translations
Arabic الشده
- الشدهin a difficult situation
Chinese Mandarin 在緊要關頭 /在紧要关头
- 在緊要關頭 /在紧要关头 (zài jǐnyào guāntóu)in a difficult situation
Finnish pinteessä
- pinteessäin a difficult situation
French à la rigueur, à la limite
- à la rigueurin a difficult situation
- à la limitein a difficult situation
German im Notfall, notfalls
- im Notfallin a difficult situation
- notfallsin a difficult situation
- zur Notin a difficult situation
Japanese いざと言う時に
- いざと言う時に (iza toyū toki-ni)in a difficult situation
Lithuanian iš bėdos
- iš bėdosin a difficult situation
Polish w ostateczności
- w ostatecznościin a difficult situation
Portuguese em caso de emergência
- em caso de emergênciain a difficult situation
Russian в тру́дную мину́ту, в слу́чае нужды́
- в тру́дную мину́ту (v trúdnuju minútu)in a difficult situation
- в слу́чае нужды́ (v slúčaje nuždý)in a difficult situation
- в кра́йнем слу́чае (v krájnem slúčaje)in a difficult situation
Spanish en un apuro
- en un apuroin a difficult situation
Swedish om det kniper
- om det kniperin a difficult situation
Cite this entry
APA
in a pinch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20a%20pinch
MLA
“in a pinch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20a%20pinch. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in a pinch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20a%20pinch.
Source: in a pinch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.