firm
1 Americanadjective
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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)
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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
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not soft or yielding to a touch or pressure; rigid; solid
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securely in position; stable or stationary
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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
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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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have firmedperfect
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has firmedperfect 3rd person singular
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firmingparticiple
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has been firmingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been firmingperfect progressive
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firmssingular 3rd person
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are firmingprogressive
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am firmingprogressive 1st person singular
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is firmingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had firmedperfect
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were firmingprogressive plural
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firmedparticiple
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had been firmingperfect progressive
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firmedsimple
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was firmingprogressive singular
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.
The Justice Department notified the company last year that it wouldn’t file any charges against the investment firm, the company said last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
GraniteShares CEO Will Rhind told Barron’s that the firm decided to roll out products for SpaceX bulls and bears because of expectations that this will be a polarizing stock.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
The statement claimed that taking into account the company’s endowment, an external accounting firm calculated that the opera company had “accumulated a $72 million deficit to the center” between 2011 and 2026.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
The tech boss also owns stakes in smaller businesses, including The Boring Company, a tunnel construction firm, and Neuralink, which develops implantable brain-computer interfaces.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
To prove it, he recited the first lines of a poem that Penelope had begun teaching the children after their interest in birds had taken a firm hold.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
