Pinch
Pinch verb - To squeeze tightly between two surfaces, edges, or points.
Use
Use verb - To put into action or service.
How words are described
| good | good pinch | good use |
| little | little pinch | little use |
| occasional | occasional pinch | occasional use |
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- It's actually Rey who is groomed to become a Jedi; Finn picks up the saber to use it as a weapon in a pinch, but Rey is shown to be Force-sensitive, and truly competent with a lightsaber.
Source: Never Trust A Trailer / Film -
In Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion, Sayaka Miki normally needs a body of water to summon Oktavia von Seckendorff, but she can use her own blood as a substitute in a pinch.
Source: Blood Magic -
So if, for example, you had a pinch on your launchpad and you needed a bunker buster, you'd have to use or scrap the pinch, then wait several hours for your bunker buster to build.
Source: Video Game / Battle Pirates
Cite this Source
Use and Pinch. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pinch/use
Pinch & Use. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pinch/use>.
Use or Pinch. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pinch/use.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pinch" and "use" have occurred on timeline