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

Nelson is a partner with the law firm Susman Godfrey who represents book authors in AI intellectual-property cases, and is co-lead counsel in the Anthropic case.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

It is the first ship owned by a major Western European firm to go through the strait since the conflict began, shipping analysts Kpler confirmed.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The firm estimates the new order value is roughly $10 million and speculate that the customer is a top transceiver supplier like Cisco Systems, Broadcom, Marvell Technology, Coherent, or Lumentum Holdings.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Before launching TBPN, Coogan was an entrepreneur in residence at Founders Fund, Peter Thiel’s venture firm.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

I end on a firm yip, and Father pulls his snout back, a bit shocked, perhaps, at my defense of Teeth.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

Related Words

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