as in freezing
to become physically firm or solid
wait for the modeling clay to firm up before handling the finished pot
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firming (up)
Verb
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The strikes have left tens of thousands of people across the country without power or heating amid freezing winter temperatures.—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026 -
Typically, temperatures should be just above freezing for the beginning of January.—
Karen Carter,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Propose a clear boundary with a sibling (or close friend) to stop resentment from hardening.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Jan. 2026
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Those upgrades involve hardening vulnerable infrastructure, improving outage detection and restoration, and preparing the grid for increasingly extreme weather.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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About the setup In this baseball setup, the robots use soft joints and adaptive control systems to avoid breaking or stiffening up on impact.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Nov. 2025
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Look for signs like the cat stopping purring, stiffening, thrashing their tail, or hissing.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Firming (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firming%20%28up%29. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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