firm
1 Americanadjective
-
not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid.
firm ground;
firm texture.
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securely fixed in place.
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not shaking or trembling; steady.
a firm voice.
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not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable.
a firm belief.
- Synonyms:
- confirmed
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steadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles.
firm friends.
- Synonyms:
- reliable, staunch, immovable, determined
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indicating firmness or determination.
a firm expression.
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not fluctuating much or falling, as prices, values, etc..
The stock market was firm today.
verb (used with object)
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to make firm; tighten or strengthen (sometimes followed byup ).
to firm up one's hold on something.
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to steady or fix (sometimes followed byup ).
to firm up prices.
verb (used without object)
-
to become firm or fixed (sometimes followed byup ).
Butter firms by churning.
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(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
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enduring or steady; constant
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having determination or strength; resolute
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(of prices, markets, etc) tending to rise
adverb
verb
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(sometimes foll by up) to make or become firm
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(intr) horse racing (of a horse) to shorten in odds
noun
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a business partnership
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any commercial enterprise
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a team of doctors and their assistants
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slang
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a gang of criminals
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a gang of football hooligans
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The average age of founders of so-called AI unicorns—companies worth more than $1 billion—has fallen from 40 in 2020 to 29 in 2024, according to investment firm Antler.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Now Lemssouguer manages $20 billion at his own hedge-fund firm.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
In addition to OpenAI and Anthropic, there’s talk that other major private tech companies such as Databricks, software firm Canva and payments giant Stripe could be waiting in the wings.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
"We can notice a big change in public perception," said Endre Hann of the Median agency, a public-opinion research firm.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
He concluded that there was effectively no way for an accountant assigned to audit a giant Wall Street firm to figure out whether it was making money or losing money.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
