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)
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firms,
present (3rd person singular)
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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
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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:
Under the agreement, private-investment firm CD&R will hold a majority interest of about 51% in Option Care Health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The credit firm, which provides financing to middle-market companies, said the funding would support the next phase of LIV Golf, under which players would become equity owners of both the league and its teams.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Following his resignation, the former governor established a private consulting firm and later entered into a podcast deal.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
It was the first decline in four months and more than the one-percent decrease forecast by analysts surveyed by the financial data firm FactSet.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Eisman took his assigned seat between Greg Lippmann and a fellow who introduced himself as Wing Chau and said that he ran an investment firm called Harding Advisory.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
It follows a BBC investigation earlier this year which revealed that law firms and advisers were helping migrants pose as gay in an effort to get asylum.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Wall Street’s big banks, brokerages and investment firms have been pushing investors to buy obvious AI winners, the Milwaukee-based manager said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Borrowing by firms including Google, Amazon and Microsoft hit around $500 billion in the nine months since January, and Goldman Sachs expects a further ramp-up in 2027, to $1.2 trillion.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
KKR is buying the business from a group of investors led by buyout firms Hg, which focuses on software investments, and General Atlantic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
That the panic inside Wall Street firms had begun before June 25 suggested to Michael Burry mainly that the Wall Street firms might be working with inside information about the remittance data.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Smaller stocks fared even worse, hitting hopes that they were on a firmer path after gains earlier in the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
It "will bolster market expectations for firmer monetary policy from the Federal Reserve as it seeks to ensure inflation is tamped out," he added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
U Mobile’s pricing should support broader market recovery, while its peers could benefit from firmer industry mobile revenue growth of 2%-3% in 2026-2027, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Some are made with a firmer material in the lower half of the pillow, which help retain the shape during the night.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
“He’s taller. Or at least stands straighter. He’s lost weight. And his chin is firmer than it was.”
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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
He told BBC Newsnight's special programme: "Why has this one got the firmest of lids on it? I think it is because it goes to the heart of the British state."
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2025
On the strength of Darcy’s regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
But as Aronimink firmed up on a hot day, the players at the top of the leaderboard struggled to match those numbers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
That position probably isn’t at risk—the two companies recently disclosed an agreement which firmed up their relationship through 2031.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
He said industry guidance had been "firmed up".
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Solid job gains and low unemployment would be seen by a majority of Fed officials as further evidence that the labor market has firmed.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 5, 2026
She took a few wobbly steps forward, then firmed up her stride.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Oil’s retreat overshadowed a firming of August consumer prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Japan’s consumer inflation picked up last month, firming expectations that the next interest-rate hike is around the corner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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
With the labor market firming, Fed policymakers flagged an increased concern about inflation, and rate hikes are potentially in the pipeline to tame raging prices.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
When seed is sown on light soils a moderate firming with the back of the spade may be desirable, but generally speaking it is sufficient to cover the seed lightly, and so leave it.
From The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition by Sutton and Sons
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.
