firm
1 Americanadjective
-
firmer,
comparative
-
firmest
superlative
-
not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid.
firm ground;
firm texture.
-
securely fixed in place.
-
not shaking or trembling; steady.
a firm voice.
-
not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable.
a firm belief.
- Synonyms:
- confirmed
-
steadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles.
firm friends.
- Synonyms:
- reliable, staunch, immovable, determined
-
indicating firmness or determination.
a firm expression.
-
not fluctuating much or falling, as prices, values, etc..
The stock market was firm today.
verb (used with object)
-
firms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
firmed,
past participle, past
-
firming
present participle
-
to make firm; tighten or strengthen (sometimes followed byup ).
to firm up one's hold on something.
-
to steady or fix (sometimes followed byup ).
to firm up prices.
verb (used without object)
-
firms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
firmed,
past participle, past
-
firming
present participle
-
to become firm or fixed (sometimes followed byup ).
Butter firms by churning.
-
(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
-
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
-
a gang of criminals
-
a gang of football hooligans
-
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
firmsimple
-
firmssimple
-
have firmedperfect
-
has firmedperfect
-
am firmingprogressive
-
are firmingprogressive
-
is firmingprogressive
-
have been firmingperfect progressive
-
has been firmingperfect progressive
Past
-
firmedsimple
-
had firmedperfect
-
was firmingprogressive
-
were firmingprogressive
-
had been firmingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
The adjective firm describes something that's strong and unwavering. If your great Aunt Martha had a firm belief that children should be seen and not heard, you and your siblings might have spent your childhood driving her crazy. Something that is solid can also be described as firm. When you take a stick of butter out of the fridge, it's firm, and it needs to soften before you cream it with sugar. Another definition for the adjective firm is unwavering or loyal. You might be a firm supporter of your favorite baseball team, even though they haven't made it to a World Series in more than twenty years.
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.
See Examples For:
Around the room, pupils are practising firm handshakes and making good eye contact.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026
One of Aviv’s clients, an executive at a private-equity firm in New England, has him investigate every prospective date.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2026
In July, Scottish firm Mocean Energy announced plans to put AI servers on floats far out at sea, powered by waves and solar panels, cooled by the surrounding water and linked to shore by satellite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
Steps to limit information on government-issued devices are a good start, said Erik Wittreich, chief executive of Veilant, a secure-communications and private-network firm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026
Hers were noisy, and they had dangling shoelaces flapping, unlike his mom's softer steps or his dad's firm, big ones.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
Megaspeed is suspected by the United States of helping Chinese firms get around US export controls by buying Nvidia chips for its data centers in Southeast Asia and routing them to China.
From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2026
LA28 leaders previously estimated their spending with outside firms would total about $4 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2026
While it may sound like something out of Homeland, it’s a topic big tech firms are thinking about: OpenAI recently held training sessions warning employees about spies trying to access company data, including honeypots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 15, 2026
In recent years, the city-state has become a prime destination for Chinese companies, with tech firms such as TikTok and Manus making it their global headquarters.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
There are about seventy thousand accounting grads in India each year, he added, many of whom go to work for local Indian firms starting at $100 a month.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Still, firmer currency management across Asia—led by managed yuan appreciation and improving prospects for a firmer yen—should limit broader dollar upside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
While rising yields, wider credit spreads and a firmer dollar have tightened broader financial conditions, they have yet to derail the expansion.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
On these firmer surfaces, muscle cells grew in better alignment and generated stronger contractions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Fans were quick to complain on social media, saying Big Brother should have been firmer and El Mayer should have received a formal warning for his behaviour.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
As his mother was about to try to drag a firmer commitment from him, a bestickered Toyota Prius zoomed up his road and screeched to a stop in front of his house with a honk.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
The new Chairman of the Federal Reserve on Friday delivered his firmest statement to date of his determination to tame inflation, and the clearest explanation of how he thinks the Fed should get there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The good news, Parsons said, is the foundation he and majority owners Bob Iger and Willow Bay have built is the firmest in the team’s short, dysfunctional history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Intel looks to be “on its firmest footing in years,” Seaport Research analyst Jay Goldberg said in a Thursday note.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026
So far the firmest interest in Ramsdale has come from Wolves, who have made an offer to sign the 26-year-old England international on a season-long loan.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2024
“You are imaginary,” I said in my firmest voice.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
Church & Dwight CHD 1.19%increase; up pointing triangle firmed up its expectations for net sales and adjusted earnings following a stronger-than-projected third quarter, driven by demand for household staples and personal-care brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
“MAGS is on the verge of breaking out and looks quite positive here, with stocks like Apple, Alphabet, and Meta having all firmed up nicely in recent days,” said Fundstrat’s Newton.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Brookfield firmed its proposal after four weeks of exclusive due diligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Oil prices jumped while stock markets mostly retreated and the dollar firmed Thursday as hopes of a Middle East peace accord faded on conflicting headlines on the state of talks.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
She took a few wobbly steps forward, then firmed up her stride.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
“You’re in this zone where the unemployment rate is going down, the labor market is firming and inflation is moving further away from the Fed’s target.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026
“I judge that additional firming of monetary policy will be necessary, and soon,” Musalem said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
"For now, people are sharpening their swords and firming up their positions," auto analyst Stefan Bratzel of the Centre of Automotive Management told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The report suggests the labor market is firming across multiple sectors after near-zero job growth last year, despite more recent concerns about rising energy prices that have driven consumer sentiment to a record low.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
In other instances, it is partial, and when it is, a heavy roller run over the land is helpful in firming the soil around the roots that have been thus disturbed.
From Clovers and How to Grow Them by Thomas Shaw
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