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
-
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:
The firm said it had undertaken a "detailed review" of its Grangemouth operation prior to the plans being announced.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Many are opting to manage their costs and are looking for alternatives, said Ashley Hetrick, supply-chain lead at accounting and advisory firm BDO.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
The private-equity firm Sycamore Partners is in talks with the billionaire Weston family about a deal valued at roughly $9 billion, including debt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The metadata for a draft of their filings last week revealed that they had been created with the help of the law firm used by Bass’ election campaign.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He arrived at the big New York money management firm as formally attired as he had ever been in his entire life to find its partners in t-shirts and sweatpants.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
S&P’s survey recorded the fastest pace of new export business in over 15 years, underpinning an upturn in confidence among Korean firms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Gundlach said those private-equity and private-credit firms keep assuring investors there are no problems, and their quarterly figures often won’t reveal any issues.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
The money that has been spent on and loaned to AI firms over the last few years in the hope of large returns is causing markets to value some of them as multi-trillion dollar businesses.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Chip firms led gains in Asia, with SK hynix and Samsung's advances lifting Seoul's market, while Tokyo's Nikkei rallied thanks to big gains in tech giants Kioxia, Advantest, Tokyo Electron and investor SoftBank.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
The market made no sense, but that didn’t stop other Wall Street firms from jumping into it, in part because Mike Burry was pestering them.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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
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
Gold’s recent slippage came as high Treasury yields, firmer Fed rate-hike expectations and rising oil prices “collectively outweighed dollar softness,” Kaynat Chainwala of Kotak Neo says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Price readings were firmer than expected through the spring before easing in June and July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
‘It will be quicker so. The ground is firmer in the Eastemnet, where the chief northward track lies, across the river, but Shadowfax knows the way through every fen and hollow.’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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
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
But then there’s also the nagging feeling that Tøndel doesn’t have the firmest grasp on his own material.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025
“It’s probably the firmest evidence yet that this planet has an atmosphere,” said Ian Crossfield, an astronomer at the University of Kansas who studies exoplanets and was not involved with the research.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2024
In her gentlest but firmest way, she gathered up the surviving demons and set them in work crews to clearing the mounds from which people were calling.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
Gold futures settled modestly lower as the U.S. dollar firmed and yields edged up, while finding some support in lower oil prices that if sustained could ease inflation pressures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 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
Canada and Mexico, on Wednesday said Brookfield firmed its US$3.38-a-share proposal after four weeks of exclusive due diligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The dollar firmed against the British pound, the euro and the yen.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
The snow had melted and the mud had firmed.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
Oil’s retreat overshadowed a firming of August consumer prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 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 inflation at a three-year high and a firming labor market, pressure has been increasing for the Fed to address rising prices by potentially raising interest rates.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
“A majority of participants highlighted…that some policy firming would likely become appropriate if inflation were to continue to run persistently above 2%,” according to the minutes of the April policy meeting, released Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
After the earth has been firmed about the roots and the hole is nearly filled, the water should be poured in and the hole filled without more firming.
From Manual of American Grape-Growing by U. P. Hedrick
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.
