verb

kneifen

squeeze

Mit den Fingern fest drücken, sodass es weh tut, oder etwas nicht tun, weil man Angst hat.

The verb kneifen has two primary meanings:

To pinch: Physically squeezing someone's skin between your thumb and index finger, often causing pain or discomfort. It can also refer to clothing or shoes that are too tight and squeeze the body.
To back out or chicken out: Colloquially, this means to withdraw from an obligation, a difficult task, or a risky situation due to fear or lack of courage.

Grammar: Kneifen is a strong verb. Its conjugation is: kneifen (infinitive), kniff (simple past), gekniffen (past participle). It is an intransitive verb when meaning to "back out" and transitive when meaning to "pinch."
Origin: The word originates from Middle High German knifen (to pinch or press). It is etymologically related to the idea of a sharp, quick motion or a pinching tool.

Synonyms:

For "to pinch": zwicken, klemmen.
For "to back out": sich drücken, einen Rückzieher machen, feig sein.

Antonyms:

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Ich kneife die Augen zu, weil die Sonne hell ist.verb

I squeeze my eyes shut because the sun is bright.

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