# firm

Pronunciation: say "FURM" US /fɜɹm/, UK /fɜːm/

## Noun

1. A business or company, especially a partnership of professionals such as lawyers or accountants, often trading under one name.
   - Simple: A business or company, such as a group of lawyers or accountants who work together.
   - _The accounting firm audits several large companies each quarter._
   - _Several firms merged to form a single multinational corporation._
13. A criminal gang, especially one organized around soccer hooliganism. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A gang of criminals, especially one formed around violent soccer fans.
   - _A notorious firm clashed with rival supporters outside the stadium._
   - _After the match, police broke up a fight between the home club's firm and a group of away fans._

## Adjective

2. Solid and rigid; not soft or easily bent out of shape.
   - Simple: Hard and solid, not soft or easy to bend.
   - _The cheese had aged into a firm, sliceable block._
   - _Choose apples that stay firm when you press them._
3. Not changing an opinion, decision, or purpose, and not giving way under pressure.
   - Simple: Not changing what you think or decide, even when people push you.
   - _Voters remained firm in their support despite the controversy._
   - _Her firm resolve to finish carried her through the last painful miles of the marathon._
4. Securely fixed in position; steady and not easily moved.
   - Simple: Held in place strongly, so it does not move or shake.
   - _A firm grip on the railing kept her from slipping._
   - _The foundation must be firm enough to support the whole building._
7. Of a person's manner, voice or treatment of others: making clear that something must be done and allowing no argument.
   - Simple: Making clear that something must be done, and not letting others argue.
   - _The manager stayed firm with employees who tried to bend the rules._
   - _Be firm with the children, or they will never follow the schedule._
8. Definite or settled, and unlikely to be changed, as of an offer, a date, a reservation or a decision.
   - Simple: Certain and not likely to change, used about things like an offer, a date or a plan.
   - _The buyers made a firm offer of $350,000 and asked for an answer within two days._
   - _The hotel needs a firm reservation and a deposit before it can hold the rooms._
5. Trustworthy and dependable; resting on sound reasoning rather than guesswork.
   - Simple: Based on good reasons and able to be trusted.
   - _Investigators built the case on firm evidence rather than rumor._
   - _Her conclusions rest on firm data collected over many years._
11. Said of prices, currencies or markets that hold their level or tend to go up instead of falling.
   - Simple: Of prices or money, staying at the same level or going up, not going down.
   - _Oil prices remained firm despite reports of rising supply._
   - _Analysts expect the housing market to stay firm through the spring._

## Adverb

6. Without moving, yielding or giving way, used after verbs such as stand, hold and stay.
   - Simple: In a steady, solid way, without moving or giving in.
   - _The soldiers stood firm though the enemy pressed hard upon them._
   - _She held firm to her promise despite their pleading._

## Verb

9. To make something firm: harder, more solid, or more securely fixed in place.
   - Simple: To make something harder, more solid, or more fixed in place.
   - _After setting the young tree in its hole, firm the soil around the roots with your heel so the trunk stays upright in the wind._
   - _Gardeners firm the soil to help young roots take hold._
10. To become solid, steady, or settled.
   - Simple: To become solid or steady after being soft or loose.
   - _The mixture should firm within an hour of chilling._
   - _Soft clay firms quickly once it is exposed to the air._
12. To start rising again or to grow stronger after a period of falling, as prices, a currency or an economy may.
   - Simple: To get better again after going down or getting worse.
   - _Stock values firm whenever investors regain their confidence._
   - _The currency firmed slightly after the central bank's announcement._
14. To endure something unpleasant by forcing oneself through it. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To force yourself to get through something hard or unpleasant.
   - _The night shifts were miserable, but she chose to firm it until a day job opened up._
   - _You'll just have to firm it until the medication kicks in._
15. To accept a university's offer as one's first choice, securing the place once the offer's conditions, usually exam grades, are met. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: To pick a university's offer as your first choice, so you get the place if you meet its conditions.
   - _Most applicants firm the university they most want to attend._
   - _She firmed Manchester and listed Leeds as her insurance choice._
16. Of betting odds, to shorten, so that a successful bet on that outcome would now pay out less. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: Of betting odds, to get shorter, so a winning bet pays back less money.
   - _Once word got out that the champion mare had drawn the inside barrier, her odds began to firm._
   - _The colt's odds firmed from ten-to-one to six-to-one overnight._

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 13** — From Italian firma ('signature'), from firmare ('to sign'), ultimately from Latin firmus ('firm, stable'). The modern business sense developed in the 18th century at the same time as German Firma ('business'), and the literature disagrees about which language influenced the other.
**Meanings 2–8, 11** — Latin firmus ('strong, steady') became Old French ferme, and Middle English borrowed it in the same form, ferme.
**Meanings 9–10, 12, 14–16** — From Middle English fermen ('to make firm'), coming partly from Latin firmō (from the adjective firmus, 'firm'), whether through Old French fermer or directly, and partly as a new formation on the English adjective.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/firm (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).