as in strongly
in a vigorous and forceful manner
stomped his feet firmly to get the snow off his boots
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Recent Examples of firmly
Fill a large pot nearly to the top with loose potting soil, and press in each plant firmly, leaving plenty of room for growth underneath.
—
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
Entering the game, Nacua had only found the end zone once but had already racked up 503 receiving yards on 42 catches, putting him firmly on pace to challenge former Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 yards set in 2012 with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Leon Thomas is keeping his foot firmly planted on the gas pedal.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
After years of positioning themselves against government shutdowns as a matter of principle, Senate Democrats are holding their position far more firmly than during a similar fight over immigration protections in 2018.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Dion, with her blond bombshell waves, ditches her microphone for the glass potion bottle, holding it firmly to the sky.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Brad was firmly outside the mansion’s mysterious aura of cool during that now 50-year-old scene, so Bostwick just hangs out with other fans if he gets lost.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
While physical releases and special events mark the WSA looking back at its past, the organization is also firmly facing forward.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Keira Knightley is firmly in her pulpy, pacy thriller era.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
Entering the game, Nacua had only found the end zone once but had already racked up 503 receiving yards on 42 catches, putting him firmly on pace to challenge former Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 yards set in 2012 with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Leon Thomas is keeping his foot firmly planted on the gas pedal.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
After years of positioning themselves against government shutdowns as a matter of principle, Senate Democrats are holding their position far more firmly than during a similar fight over immigration protections in 2018.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Dion, with her blond bombshell waves, ditches her microphone for the glass potion bottle, holding it firmly to the sky.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Brad was firmly outside the mansion’s mysterious aura of cool during that now 50-year-old scene, so Bostwick just hangs out with other fans if he gets lost.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
While physical releases and special events mark the WSA looking back at its past, the organization is also firmly facing forward.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Keira Knightley is firmly in her pulpy, pacy thriller era.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firmly
Adverb
-
High jewelry has grown strongly, and accounts for 15 percent of revenue, up from 5 to 6 percent four years ago, said Sassine.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
-
At the same time, Stein strongly criticized the decision by GOP lawmakers to include a provision in the bill directing the state to adopt an alternative method of execution, in an attempt to restart the death penalty.—
Avi Bajpai,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Testifying for the defense, variety show hosts Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore, and Perry Como vigorously stuck up for the medium that made them.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Other Latin American countries that had suffered under military dictatorships vigorously prosecuted the perpetrators of human rights abuses, but Brazil did not follow suit.—
Omar G. Encarnación,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Porter was stopped by deputies while switching seats with her father during a drive, and body camera footage shows her being forcibly detained, according to her lawsuit.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Several individuals were seen forcibly restrained.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Nobody worked harder in practice, and that became contagious to his teammates.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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The best curtains on Amazon are hard-working pieces of home decor.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
6 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Richards has vehemently denied Glanville's claims.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
When the affair allegations initially emerged, Kate vehemently denied things ever turned romantic with Neild.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Tech companies are competing fiercely to build the most powerful AI models, but some investors worry the market is in a bubble.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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Deep into injury time, there was an example of Van Hecke’s fiercely competitive nature.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Firmly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firmly. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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