firm

¹ American  

[furm] / fɜrm /

adjective

firmer, firmest

1. not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid.

   firm ground;

   firm texture.

   Antonyms:

   soft, yielding

2. securely fixed in place.

   Synonyms:

   immovable, stable, fast

3. not shaking or trembling; steady.

   a firm voice.

4. not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable.

   a firm belief.

   Synonyms:

   confirmed

5. steadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles.

   firm friends.

   Synonyms:

   reliable, staunch, immovable, determined

6. indicating firmness or determination.

   a firm expression.

7. not fluctuating much or falling, as prices, values, etc..

   The stock market was firm today.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make firm; tighten or strengthen (sometimes followed byup ).

   to firm up one's hold on something.

2. to steady or fix (sometimes followed byup ).

   to firm up prices.

verb (used without object)

1. to become firm or fixed (sometimes followed byup ).

   Butter firms by churning.

2. (of prices, markets, etc.) to recover; become stronger, as after a decline (sometimes followed byup ).

   Stock prices firmed again today.

adverb

firmer, firmest

1. firmly.

   He stood firm.

firm ² American  

[furm] / fɜrm /

noun

1. a partnership or association for carrying on a business.

   Synonyms:

   house, concern, business, company

2. the name or title under which associated parties transact business.

   the firm of Smith & Jones.

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firm ¹ British  

/ fɜːm /

adjective

1. not soft or yielding to a touch or pressure; rigid; solid

2. securely in position; stable or stationary

3. definitely established; decided; settled

4. enduring or steady; constant

5. having determination or strength; resolute

6. (of prices, markets, etc) tending to rise

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adverb

1. in a secure, stable, or unyielding manner

   he stood firm over his obligation to pay

verb

1. (sometimes foll by up) to make or become firm

2. (intr) horse racing (of a horse) to shorten in odds

firm ² British  

/ fɜːm /

noun

1. a business partnership

2. any commercial enterprise

3. a team of doctors and their assistants

4. slang

   1. a gang of criminals

   2. a gang of football hooligans

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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

Research firm Morning Consult reported that their index of consumer sentiment fell 2.1 points over the past week, driven by a dramatic 10.5-point fall among adults earning over $100,000 per year.

From MarketWatch

It plans to bring in modernized manufacturing methods—such as automation and robotics—from the firm’s world-class South Korean operations.

From The Wall Street Journal

China has begun choking off exports of rare earths and rare-earth magnets to Japan, a potential blow to Japanese companies that use them to produce components for global chip makers, car companies and defense firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

An Indian climate advocacy firm led by a prominent activist has denied allegations by authorities that it misused foreign funds to influence policy and threaten the country's energy security.

From Barron's

“The cryptocurrency market has grown over the past week, but it is still in a downtrend and remains heavily dependent on Bitcoin due to its dominance,” analysts at crypto firm B2BINPAY said.

From Barron's

Related Words

• adamant
• consistent
• determined
• explicit
• flat
• persistent
• resolute
• specific
• stable
• staunch
• steadfast
• steady
• strict
• strong
• tenacious
• unflinching
• unshakable
• unwavering
• unyielding