firm

adjective

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\ ˈfərm

Definition of firm

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : securely or solidly fixed in place his teeth were firm

b : not weak or uncertain : vigorous a firm handshake

c : having a solid or compact structure that resists stress or pressure firm apples

2a(1) : not subject to change or revision a firm offer a firm date

(2) : not subject to price weakness : steady firm commodities

b : not easily moved or disturbed : steadfast a firm believer in democracy

c : well-founded firm evidence of criminal activity

3 : indicating firmness or resolution a firm mouth a firm voice

firm

adverb

Definition of firm (Entry 2 of 4)

: in a firm manner : steadfastly, fixedly

firm

verb

firmed; firming; firms

Definition of firm (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1a : to make secure or fast : tighten firming her grip on the racquet —often used with up

b : to make solid or compact firm the soil

2 : to put into final form : settle firm a contract firm up plans

3 : to give additional support to : strengthen —usually used with up

intransitive verb

1 : to become firm : harden —often used with up

2 : to recover from a decline : improve the market is firming

firm

noun

Definition of firm (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : the name or title under which a company transacts business

2 : a partnership of two or more persons that is not recognized as a legal person distinct from the members composing it

3 : a business unit or enterprise

Other Words from firm Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about firm

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Examples of firm in a Sentence

Adjective She has a firm grasp of the basic principles. They insist on maintaining firm control over the project. He spoke to her in a soft but firm voice. The time has come for us to take a firm stand. The children need gentle but firm handling. Noun merged with another firm to become a major player in the brokerage business

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective When loggers arrived, the women stood firm for four days, surrounding the trees. — Time, "'Women Don’t Give Up.' Why Female Protesters Are at the Forefront of India's Resistance Movement," 15 Jan. 2020 One sheet at a time, bake in preheated oven until edges are firm and centers are soft, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. — Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Testing recipes brought a steady stream of new dishes to my table. A few became favorites.," 7 Jan. 2020 While firm in its support for Jo’s assertion that women have a broader destiny than just romance, Gerwig’s Little Women makes some of its strongest points about the nature of love—its aches, its sacrifices, its disappointments. — John Matteson, The Atlantic, "One Way the New Little Women Film Is Radical," 1 Jan. 2020 The big losers under the new law are generally people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have to take taxable distributions over 10 years, instead of decades, said Kevin Sweeney of accounting firm Sweeney Kovar. — Kathleen Pender, SFChronicle.com, "More answers to questions on retirement plans and the Secure Act," 25 Dec. 2019 The data tracking firm reports that 855,000 vinyl albums were sold in the U.S. during the week of Nov. 29 through Dec. 5 — the third-largest sales week for vinyl LPs since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. — Keith Caulfield, Billboard, "Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 Helps Drive Third-Biggest Sales Week for Vinyl In Nielsen Era," 11 Dec. 2019 Remember: Collagen and elastin are both naturally occurring protein fibers that help keep skin plump and firm. — Rebecca Dancer, Allure, "Everything You Need to Know About Vitamin C, the Holy Grail of Skin-Care Ingredients," 1 Dec. 2019 Salah regained the lead for Liverpool by running onto Roberto Firmino’s flicked header and cushioning a left-foot shot into the net, and the Reds held firm to collect their first points in group play after opening up with a 2-0 loss at Napoli. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Liverpool beats Salzburg 4-3 after throwing away 3-goal lead," 2 Oct. 2019 In the first half, the Spartans forced the Razorbacks to punt twice and held firm on two fourth-down stands, giving their offense the ball back on downs. — C.j. Peterson, The Mercury News, "Takeaways: San Jose State pulls a stunner in Arkansas," 21 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Another prominent original occupant — the trust company occupied about half the building — was the Los Angeles law firm now known as O’Melveny & Myers. — Los Angeles Times, "Spring Street’s revival spreads to a downtown landmark: the Trust Building," 20 Sep. 2019 Two law firms, Marchena and Graham and the former Broad & Cassel law firm now known as Nelson Mullins received the bulk of the payments. — Beth Kassab, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando airport committee leans toward in-house staff attorney," 18 Sep. 2019 Morse is one of Michigan's most visible attorneys with TV spots and billboard ads that call his personal injury law firm the largest in the state. — Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Judge: Attorney Mike Morse 'at the very center' of no-fault scheme," 3 July 2019 Big-name attorney Morse is one of Michigan's most visible attorneys with TV spots and billboard ads that call his personal injury law firm the largest in the state. — Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Claim: My husband helped attorney Mike Morse hide MRI center money," 19 June 2019 Congratulations to Robyn Denholm, the new chairwoman of Tesla’s board! Denholm got her start at the now-defunct Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm best known for its work shredding Enron’s documents. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "Tesla’s new chairwoman is walking into SEC and DOJ probes," 9 Nov. 2018 Invesco will pay for the deal with 81.9 million common shares and another $4 billion in preferred shares, making MassMutual the firm’s largest stockholder. — Justin Baer, WSJ, "Invesco to Buy OppenheimerFunds From MassMutual," 18 Oct. 2018 One of that firm’s biggest clients is a company helmed by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. — Matt Richardson, Fox News, "Michael Cohen-linked firm received big payments from Russian oligarch, report says," 9 May 2018 One of that firm’s biggest clients is a company helmed by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. — Matt Richardson, Fox News, "Michael Cohen-linked firm received big payments from Russian oligarch, report says," 9 May 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb La Prairie Lumidose — a molecule blocking the enzyme that creates melanin (the culprit of discoloration) — in White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire targets uneven skin tone and helps lift and firm the eye area. — Meg Hemphill, The Hollywood Reporter, "5 Skincare Must-Haves From Brands Used by Meghan Markle and Angelina Jolie," 18 Jan. 2020 Where an issue might previously have been addressed by firming the response at the front dampers, the new car might require softening the rear to solve the same problem, for example. — Dan Carney, Popular Science, "The Corvette is finally the supercar it deserves to be," 2 Jan. 2020 The current draft, approved in 2016, pays McGee’s firm $731,000 annually, plus a flat fee of $150 per complete autopsy. — Tad Vezner, Twin Cities, "Ramsey County’s longtime medical examiner to step down next year," 16 Dec. 2019 With job and wage growth solid, consumer spending has been strong since spring, and the latest data on industrial production and consumer prices suggest that manufacturing and inflation are firming up. — Los Angeles Times, "Fed is expected to cut interest rates again by quarter point," 18 Sep. 2019 Among first suits filed Among the first 10 lawsuits that firm Weitz & Luxenberg plans to file Wednesday in New York state will be one from Gregory Wilson. — Steve Orr, USA TODAY, "Hundreds of child sex abuse claims filed on first day of New York's Child Victims Act," 14 Aug. 2019 While the dough firmed up, Mr. Chan brought out some pre-baked cookies: small gingerbread people, large gingerbread people, circles that could be strung as ball ornaments. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "Tiffany Haddish Puts the ‘X’ in Christmas Cookies," 20 Dec. 2019 Get the most out of two best-selling serums from Versed (a firming peptide blend and vitamin C-infused brightening formula), with an easy-to-use facial roller that helps release muscle tension, reduce puffiness and improve blood and oxygen flow. — Tanisha Pina, NBC News, "8 best skin care sets to gift for the 2019 holidays," 7 Dec. 2019 This would give the law firm a cash infusion while promising to pay dividends to the investor in the future as the settlement payments came in. — Aaliyah Gibson, chicagotribune.com, "Scams and shams: The biggest frauds in business," 1 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Private-equity firm Sequoia Capital is a Zomato investor. — Preetika Rana, WSJ, "Uber Sells Indian Food-Delivery Unit to Rival Zomato," 21 Jan. 2020 And among Trump’s trusted outside confidants on China is Schwarzman, chief executive of the Blackstone Group, a private equity firm. — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, "Trump’s China deal was pitched as boon for working class, but he celebrated with Wall Street titans," 20 Jan. 2020 Spin has been acquired by Next Management Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in digital media. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group Sells Spin, Agreement in Place for Sale of Stereogum," 16 Jan. 2020 In 2016, Ebony and Jet were sold to Clear View Group, a Texas equity firm. — NBC News, "Historic Johnson Publishing artwork going on auction block," 16 Jan. 2020 The latter was scrubbed from the record by a private-equity firm that rebooted Fowler as a heritage brand, in 2017. — Jake Tuck, The New Yorker, "Honest Founder Narratives," 16 Jan. 2020 The Herald News is owned by Gannett, which is under pressure to cut its debt after borrowing $1.8 billion from the private equity firm Apollo Global Management to complete its recent megamerger with the parent of GateHouse Media. — Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "For newsrooms in Fall River, Salem and elsewhere, it’s inevitable: They’re moving to smaller digs," 15 Jan. 2020 Midland Industries is a portfolio company of Wynnchurch Capital, a middle-market private equity investment firm based in the Chicago area. — Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle, "Midland Industries acquires Stainless Adapters Inc.," 14 Jan. 2020 Employees shouldn't be left in the dark as companies are pillaged for their resources after equity firms load them down with debt and the top officials walk away with bonuses. — Kate Gibson, CBS News, "New Jersey could be first state to require company severance in mass layoffs," 13 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'firm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.