firm
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- hard, dense, inflexible, rigid, set, solid, solidified, stiff, unyielding
- secure, embedded, fast, fixed, immovable, rooted, stable, steady, tight, unshakable
- definite, adamant, inflexible, resolute, resolved, set on, unbending, unshakable, unyielding
————————
[noun]
company, association, business, concern, conglomerate, corporation, enterprise, organization, partnership

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Antonyms: flabby
Contrasted words: flaccid, flimsy, floppy, limp, loose, slack, sleazy, soft, squishy, changeable, fluctuating, shaky, shifting, unsteady, variable
Related Words: close, compact, dense, thick, inelastic, inflexible, rigid, stiff, unyielding, sturdy, substantial, tough, established, going, prevailing, consistent, stable, steady, unwavering, definite, exact, explicit, specific, undeviating, flat

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English Thesaurus: company, firm, business, corporation, multinational, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. firm¹ S1 W1 /fɜːm $ fɜːrm/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1700-1800; Language: Italian; Origin: firma 'signature', from Latin firmare 'to show to be true', from firmus; ⇒ firm²]
a business or company, especially a small one
electronics/advertising/law etc firm
She works for an electronics firm.
a firm of accountants/solicitors/builders etc
Kevin is with a firm of accountants in Birmingham.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. firm² S3 W2 adjective
[Word Family: noun: firmness, infirmity, the infirm; adjective: firm, infirm; adverb: firmly]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin firmus]

1. not completely hard, but not soft, and not easy to bend into a different shape Antonym : soft:
The sofa cushions are fairly firm.
a firm green apple
Most doctors recommend sleeping on a firm mattress.

2. strongly fixed in position, and not likely to move Synonym : secure:
Make sure the ladder feels firm before you climb up.
A concrete foundation was poured after digging down to firm ground.
Mount the tanks side by side on a firm base.

3. not likely to change
firm conviction/commitment/belief etc
Our client hasn’t reached a firm decision on the matter yet.
Blackpool remains a firm favourite with holiday makers from Northern Ireland.
Corey was always a firm believer in prayer.
They made a firm offer (=offered to pay a particular amount) on the house over the weekend.
Diana and Laura have been firm friends (=close friends) since their early teens.

4. showing in the way that you behave or speak that you are the person in control and that you are not likely to change your answer, belief etc:
Cal replied with a polite but firm ‘no’.
What this country needs is firm leadership.
be firm with somebody
You need to be firm with her or she’ll try to take advantage of you.

5. HAND a firm grip/hold/grasp etc if you have something in a firm grip etc, you are holding it tightly and strongly:
He took a firm grip of my arm and marched me towards the door.
a firm handshake

6. take a firm stand/line to state your opinion clearly and not be persuaded to change it

7. stand/hold firm to not change your actions or opinions
stand/hold firm against
Jones is urging Christians to stand firm against abortion.

8. a firm hand a strict way of dealing with someone:
These children need a firm hand.

9. MONEY [not before noun] if the value of a particular country’s money is firm, it does not fall in value Synonym : steady
firm against
The pound is still firm against the dollar.
—firmly adverb
—firmness noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. firm³ verb [transitive]
to press down on soil to make it harder or more solid
firm something ↔ up phrasal verb

1. to make arrangements, ideas etc more definite and exact:
We’re hoping to firm up the deal later this month.

2. to make a part of your body have more muscle and less fat by exercising

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

firm
adj.
I. solid/strong
VERBS be, feel, look, seem | remain, stay Exercise is important if you want your muscles to stay firm.
make sth Use extra stuffing to make the cushions firmer.
keep sth exercises to keep your muscles firm
ADV. very | fairly, quite, reasonably

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

firm
II. not likely to change
VERBS be, sound | hold, remain, stand Jo held firm: nothing else would do. We stand firm on these principles.
ADV. very | fairly, quite
PREP. with I have always been quite firm with my children.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

firm
noun
ADJ. big, large, major | medium-sized | small | well-known | successful | established | start-up start-up firms in the booming computer market
private | family | international, multinational | foreign | local | accountancy, audit/auditing, broking, consulting, engineering, law, manufacturing, software, stockbroking, telecommunications | mail order
VERB + FIRM establish, found, set up, start (up) She set up her own software firm.
manage, run | merge with They are likely to merge with a bigger firm.
acquire, buy (out), take over The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.
close (down), dissolve the decision to close down the firm
own | work for | join, leave | employ, hire She hired a firm of private detectives to follow him.
FIRM + VERB be based in sth a firm called Data Incorporated, based in Chicago
expand, grow | merge | compete Local firms are finding it difficult to compete in the international market.
close (down), collapse, fail, go bust, go into liquidation The well-established firm closed down with the loss of 600 jobs.
develop sth, make sth, manufacture sth, produce sth | specialize in sth a firm specializing in high-technology products
PREP. in/within a/the ~ the different departments within the firm
PHRASES a client of a firm, a firm of accountants/consultants/solicitors, a partner in a firm
 ⇒ Note at ORGANIZATION
 ⇒ Special page at BUSINESS

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

firm

a large/big firm
He is managing director of a large firm.
a small firm
He trained with a small firm in Cardiff.
a medium-sized firm
The law will not effect medium-sized firms with less than 100 employees.
an engineering/building/electronics etc firm
Fred worked for an electronics firm.
a law/accounting/advertising etc firm
She was offered a job with a law firm.
a British/American Swiss etc firm
British firms are competing with a number of foreign companies.
a local firm
The equipment was supplied by a local firm.
a foreign firm
There has been renewed competition from foreign firms.
a family firm
The business grew from a small family firm into a large company.
a firm of solicitors/accountants/surveyors etc
Ms Shaw is a partner in a firm of solicitors.
work for a firm
Chris has been working for this firm for nearly 20 years.
join a firm
He joined the firm when he was in his early twenties.
leave a firm
She left the firm in 2007.
a firm employs somebody
The firm employs more than 200 people.
a firm produces something
Our firm produces computer software for the business market.
a firm supplies something
The firm supplies office furniture to local businesses.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

company an organization that makes or sells something, or provides a service:
big oil companies
telephone companies
He runs a software company.
firm a company, especially one that provides a service rather than producing goods:
a law firm
a firm of accountants
a security firm
business a company – often used when talking about a company that employs only a small number of people:
She set up her own catering business.
small businesses
a family business
corporation a large company that often includes several smaller companies:
IBM is one of the biggest corporations in the world.
multinational a very large company with offices in many different countries:
American multinationals are establishing research and development facilities across the developing world.
conglomerate /kənˈɡlɒmərət, kənˈɡlɒmərɪt $ -ˈɡlɑː-/ a very large company that consists of several different companies which have joined together:
The company was taken over by a German media conglomerate.
giant a word used mainly by newspapers for a very large company:
Their clients include the retail giant, Wal-Mart.
subsidiary a company that is owned by a larger company:
The company runs its New York operations through a US subsidiary.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

determined if you are determined to do something, you have decided that you are definitely going to do it, and you will not let anything stop you. Determined is also used about someone’s character, when they usually behave in this way:
I was determined to be a doctor.
She’s a very determined woman.
stubborn determined not to change what you are doing, especially when other people think you are behaving in an unreasonable way. Stubborn is often used when you disapprove of someone. It is also sometimes used when you admire them:
I wish you would stop being so stubborn!
Churchill’s stubborn refusal to surrender
single-minded someone who is single-minded works very hard in order to achieve one particular thing, and thinks that everything else is much less important:
During a war, a leader must be single-minded and, if necessary, ruthless.
her single-minded pursuit of power
tough /tʌf/ determined to succeed, even if a situation is difficult or frightening:
In competitive sports, it is as important to be mentally tough as it is to be physically fit.
Gorelick is known as a tough manager.
firm showing by your behaviour that you are determined not to change your mind, especially when you are telling someone what to do:
What this country needs is firm leadership.
You have to be firm with young children.
feisty determined and full of energy, and not afraid to say what you think and argue with people - used especially when you admire this person. Feisty is often used about women:
In the film she plays a feisty young woman who is smarter than all the men put together.
a feisty kid with a mind of his own
the city’s feisty mayor
headstrong determined to do what you want, without listening to other people’s advice or thinking about the results of your actions - used especially about young people:
Her sister was headstrong and impulsive, and made a point of going out whenever and wherever she liked.
resolute formal doing something in a very determined way because you have very strong beliefs, aims etc:
the soldiers’ resolute defence of the town
tenacious formal determined and refusing to give up:
McTaggart was seen by many in the environment movement as a tenacious hero.
his tenacious grip on power
dogged [only before noun] dogged behaviour shows that you are very determined and that you will not give up - used especially in the following phrases: dogged determination/persistence/resistance/refusal:
The team played with dogged determination.
his dogged refusal to admit defeat
the dogged persistence of the defenders
persistent continuing to do something, although this is difficult, or other people warn you not to do it:
If you want to get a job, you have to be persistent. Don’t give up.
strong-willed always very determined to do what you want to do, even if other people think it is not a good idea to do it:
She has always been a strong-willed child.
ruthless /ˈruːθləs/ someone who is ruthless is so determined to get what they want, that they do not care if they harm other people:
a ruthless dictator
He was ruthless in his ambition.
mean business to be determined to do something and show other people that you are determined to do it, even if it involves harming someone:
The one-day strike proved that the union meant business.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hard difficult to press down, break, or cut, and not at all soft:
I fell onto the hard stone floor.
The clay gets harder as it dries.
firm not completely hard, but not easy to press or bend – used especially when this seems a good thing:
I like to sleep on a firm mattress.
exercises to make your stomach muscles nice and firm
The pears were firm and juicy.
stiff difficult to bend and not changing shape:
a piece of stiff cardboard
The collar of his shirt felt stiff and uncomfortable.
solid made of a thick hard material and not hollow:
a solid oak door
The floor felt strong and solid beneath her feet.
rigid /ˈrɪdʒəd, ˈrɪdʒɪd/ having a structure that is made of a material that is difficult or impossible to bend:
The tent is supported by a rigid frame.
Carry sandwiches in a rigid container.
crisp/crispy used about food that is pleasantly hard, so that it makes a noise when you bite it – often used about things that have been cooked in thin slices until they are brown:
Bake the cookies until they are crisp and golden.
crispy bacon
crunchy food that is crunchy makes a noise when you bite on it – often used about things that are fresh, for example fruit, vegetables, and nuts:
a crunchy breakfast cereal
The carrots were still nice and crunchy.
a crunchy salad
crunchy peanut butter
tough meat that is tough is too hard and is difficult to cut or eat:
The meat was tough and flavourless.
rubbery too hard and bending like rubber rather than breaking – used especially about meat:
The chicken was all rubbery.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

strict expecting people to obey rules or to do what you say – used especially about parents, teachers, or organizations:
Our teachers were very strict.
Most schools are quite strict about the way students dress.
firm showing that you are in control of the situation and will not change your opinion, especially when you are telling someone what to do:
You have to be firm with young children.
I’ll be firm with him and tell him he can’t have any more money.
tough determined that your orders or decisions will be obeyed, especially in order to make sure that a situation improves – used especially when you think that someone is right to be strict:
We need a government that is tough on crime.
She can be quite tough with her students, but they respect her for it.
The chancellor has got to be tough and keep government spending down.
stern strict in a serious, disapproving, and rather unfriendly way:
Her grandfather was a stern man who rarely smiled.
Sheila walked into the museum, under the stern gaze of the curator.
harsh punishing or criticizing someone in a way that seems very severe, often too severe:
Don’t be too harsh on her – she’s only a child.
It may seem harsh to punish him, but he has to learn that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
Her reaction to the child’s bad behaviour was unnecessarily harsh.
authoritarian disapproving very strict about forcing people to obey rules or laws, and punishing them very severely if they fail to do this – used about people and governments:
Her father was very authoritarian and insisted on total obedience.
an authoritarian government
tight tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed:
The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of alcohol.
There are tight regulations governing waste disposal.
stringent controlling what people can do with rules that have very high standards:
There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.
stringent new food safety regulations

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲