firmer

Pluralfirmers

1. 1
   adjective

   Comparative of firm.

   Investors wanted a firmer commitment before signing the deal.

   The new coach took a firmer approach with the team.

   Note

   The comparative carries every shade of firm with it: steadier in position, more fixed in opinion, more insistent, more rigid, more dependable. Its favorite company is footing. To put a plan on a firmer footing is to make it more secure, not physically harder. The same spelling also names a woodworker's chisel, a noun with no comparative meaning at all.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   A cosmetic product or physical exercise intended to tighten and tone a part of the body.

   Dermatologists often recommend a firmer alongside a daily moisturizer.

   The plank is an effective firmer for the core muscles.

   Similartoner

   Note

   An agent noun built on the verb firm, "to tighten": a firmer is whatever does the firming, whether it comes in a jar or is done on a mat. It usually appears with the body part in front, as in face firmers or a thigh firmer, and it belongs to the language of beauty counters and fitness routines.

3. 3
   nouncountable

   A thin chisel built with a tang that fits into the handle, rather than a socket that receives the handle.

   A firmer is ideal for paring away thin shavings of wood.

   She tapped the firmer gently to trim the mortise edges.

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