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)
-
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
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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:
Canadian negotiators had been camped out in Washington this week to firm up a deal that aimed to address various flash points.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
The firm made more than $25 million on the day of the stock surge, according to an analysis of their latest quarterly filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
The Lakers and Kushner’s investment firm, Thrive Capital, declined to comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
BBC Sport has had it confirmed by multiple sources that the prospective investor behind plans for LIV 2.0 is Ted Goldthorpe, head of the credit division of international investment firm BC Partners.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
I had not yet made any firm decision about leaving the island, but it couldn’t hurt to have extra stocks.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The National Mining Association, the main lobbying group for mining firms in the United States, told AFP it "absolutely supports" the new lower permissible silica exposure limit.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Private-equity firms can have a sliver of a team, but are not to have a controlling voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
In April, City of York Council struggled to attract interest from construction firms to build 315 homes to the standard due to market conditions and the complexity of building to such specifications.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The push is part of a $1.5 billion joint venture between the AI giant and Wall Street firms, which also includes Apollo, General Atlantic and Goldman Sachs among the backers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
With them were a handful of government officials—the same government officials who should have known a lot more about what Wall Street firms were doing, back when they were doing it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Use a mix of light and firmer pressure.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Canadian National Railway CNR 2.05%increase; up pointing triangle boosted its full-year outlook, citing firmer freight demand and shifting economic conditions, as the railroad posted higher profit and revenue in the second quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Some provincial leaders have pushed for firmer action on trade negotiations by Ottawa.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
But there may be a force at play with an even firmer hold on the American man: gas prices.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
I rearranged the food so that none of it touched and dipped my spoon into the gelatinous hill, which was firmer than I expected.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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
Folky fingerpicking and new-agey thoughts about self-help make “Deeper Well” one of the gentlest but firmest rebuffs imaginable.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
Keep the bike in the middle of the track where the trail is firmest, which can be tricky when you pick up momentum heading downhill into a corner.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
“You are imaginary,” I said in my firmest voice.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
Oil rose while Asian equities firmed Monday as a surge in artificial intelligence-linked stocks helped offset uncertainty over US-Iran talks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Tracking of cardholder activity by Royal Bank of Canada, the country’s largest lender, showed consumer spending firmed modestly in March despite ongoing softness in discretionary goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 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
Remembering La Llorona’s warning, I firmed up my resolve.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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
Bulls are still in control but their grip isn’t firming.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
The Bank of Japan said it is carefully monitoring the risk that oil prices may accelerate underlying inflation, firming expectations of a summer rate hike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
"It's always easy to be aggressive from the fairway and take advantage of the greens being just a hair softer. But I think they're slowly firming up."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
Make a plain omelet and when the eggs are firming, lay over one half of it hot seasoned tops of asparagus, and fold over the other half.
From Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book (4th edition) How to Cook and Use Rarer Vegetables and Herbs by Anonymous
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.
