firm
1 Americanadjective
-
not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid.
firm ground;
firm texture.
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securely fixed in place.
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not shaking or trembling; steady.
a firm voice.
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not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable.
a firm belief.
- Synonyms:
- confirmed
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steadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles.
firm friends.
- Synonyms:
- reliable, staunch, immovable, determined
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indicating firmness or determination.
a firm expression.
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not fluctuating much or falling, as prices, values, etc..
The stock market was firm today.
verb (used with object)
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to make firm; tighten or strengthen (sometimes followed byup ).
to firm up one's hold on something.
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to steady or fix (sometimes followed byup ).
to firm up prices.
verb (used without object)
-
to become firm or fixed (sometimes followed byup ).
Butter firms by churning.
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(of prices, markets, etc.) to recover; become stronger, as after a decline (sometimes followed byup ).
Stock prices firmed again today.
adverb
adjective
-
not soft or yielding to a touch or pressure; rigid; solid
-
securely in position; stable or stationary
-
definitely established; decided; settled
-
enduring or steady; constant
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having determination or strength; resolute
-
(of prices, markets, etc) tending to rise
adverb
verb
-
(sometimes foll by up) to make or become firm
-
(intr) horse racing (of a horse) to shorten in odds
noun
-
a business partnership
-
any commercial enterprise
-
a team of doctors and their assistants
-
slang
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a gang of criminals
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a gang of football hooligans
-
Related Words
Firm, hard, solid, stiff are applied to substances that tend to retain their form unaltered in spite of pressure or force. Firm often implies that something has been brought from a yielding state to a fixed or elastic one: An increased amount of pectin makes jellies firm. Hard is applied to substances so resistant that it is difficult to make any impression upon their surface or to penetrate their interior: as hard as a stone. Solid is applied to substances that without external support retain their form and resist pressure: Water in the form of ice is solid. It sometimes denotes the opposite of hollow: a solid block of marble. Stiff implies rigidity that resists a bending force: as stiff as a poker.
Other Word Forms
- firmly adverb
- firmness noun
Etymology
Origin of firm1
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin firmus; replacing Middle English ferm(e), from Middle French ferm(e), from Latin
Origin of firm2
First recorded in 1565–75; from Spanish firma “signature” (hence, legal name of a partnership), noun derivative of firmar “to sign,” from Latin firmāre “to strengthen, confirm,” derivative of firmus firm 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Analysts working for brokerage and research firms typically set 12-month price targets for stocks.
From MarketWatch
Such systems “may determine pay by what the firm knows about how much a nurse was willing to accept for a previous assignment,” the report’s authors wrote, locking them into lower pay bands over time.
From MarketWatch
The company is the latest tech firm to shed workers as it focuses more heavily on AI.
From Los Angeles Times
Luna’s firm has in-house designers but also takes clients who have their own architects.
From Los Angeles Times
He said the firm would adopt tough policies to tackle insider trading.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
