Used for a difficult or dangerous situation, often sudden. Common in phrases like ピンチを切り抜ける (get out of a pinch).
彼はいつもピンチになると冷静になる。
He always becomes calm when he's in a pinch.
The team got through the final crisis and won.
The company fell into a major crisis due to lack of funds.
clothespin; clothes peg
Refers to the household item for hanging laundry. Less common than the 'crisis' sense in everyday conversation.
洗濯物をピンチで留めて干した。
I hung the laundry, fastening it with clothespins.
I clipped the wet towel with a clothespin and hung it up to dry.
Due to a lack of funds, the company fell into a management crisis.
He turned the crisis into an opportunity and succeeded.
苦境 describes a prolonged, painful predicament (often financial or social), whereas ピンチ can be a brief, sudden tight spot, like in a game.
難局 is a formal term for a difficult situation requiring careful handling, while ピンチ is more casual and often implies imminent danger or failure.
チャンス means 'opportunity', the opposite of ピンチ's sense of a risky or dangerous moment, and the two are often paired in sports commentary like ピンチをチャンスに変える.
dire straits; serious bind; big trouble
pinchcock
clothespin-type hanger
pinch runner
Borrowed from English 'pinch'. The 'clothespin' sense likely comes from the pinching action of the clip.