as in to freeze
to become physically firm or solid
wait for the modeling clay to firm up before handling the finished pot
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firm (up)
Verb
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Prosecutors accused Read of backing up into O’Keefe, her boyfriend of two years, with her SUV, leaving him to freeze and die on the front yard of a Canton home where the pair was supposed to continue a night out after the bars closed that cold, snowy early January morning.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025 -
Using an ice chamber, the team froze mixtures of water, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia to a bone-chilling –420 degrees Fahrenheit (-253 degrees Celsius), mimicking frigid conditions near the moon's surface.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The seafloor within the rings around the barrels had hardened like concrete, preventing them from collecting samples with a coring device that would be inserted into the seafloor.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Sep. 2025
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In analysis sent to Newsweek, global risk firm RANE said the incident could accelerate NATO's air defense integration and harden its posture toward Russia.—
Brendan Cole
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Firm (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firm%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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