firmed (up)

verb

past tense of firm (up)
as in hardened
to become physically firm or solid wait for the modeling clay to firm up before handling the finished pot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for firmed (up)
  1. hardened
  2. froze
  3. stiffened
Verb
  • Project Mu, Microsoft’s hardened EDK2 fork, used the code containing the vulnerable component as well.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The building materials are fire-resistant, as are the windows, and the eaves are fire-hardened as well.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of hardened
Verb
  • The questions about the papers were so significant that SSRN, the platform Polson used to share the research papers, took down the articles over the past month and froze the accounts used to post the works.
    — TODD WALLACK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Talarico showed up to a cheer from the studio audience, and everything froze, literally and figuratively.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of froze
Verb
  • However, for someone with a preexisting condition such as pulmonary fibrosis – where the tissue of the lungs has stiffened and can no longer stretch to full capacity – a viral infection may make their condition worse.
    — Karin Wuertz-Kozak, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Texas stiffened and took the 21-point lead to the locker room.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of stiffened
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

firmaments
firmed (up)
firming (up)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Firmed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firmed%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All