not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid: firm ground; firm texture.
2.
securely fixed in place.
3.
not shaking or trembling; steady: a firm voice.
4.
not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable: a firm belief.
5.
steadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles: firm friends.
6.
indicating firmness or determination: a firm expression.
7.
not fluctuating much or falling, as prices, values, etc.: The stock market was firm today.
–verb (used with object)
8.
to make firm; tighten or strengthen (sometimes fol. by up): to firm up one's hold on something.
9.
to steady or fix (sometimes fol. by up): to firm up prices.
–verb (used without object)
10.
to become firm or fixed (sometimes fol. by up): Butter firms by churning.
11.
(of prices, markets, etc.) to recover; become stronger, as after a decline (sometimes fol. by up): Stock prices firmed again today.
–adverb
12.
firmly: He stood firm.
[Origin: 1300–50; < L firmus; r. ME ferm < MF < L]
—Related forms
firmly, adverb
firmness, noun
—Synonyms 1.Firm,hard,solid,stiff are applied to substances that tend to retain their form unaltered in spite of pressure or force. Firm often implies that something has been brought from a yielding state to a fixed or elastic one: An increased amount of pectin makes jellies firm. Hard is applied to substances so resistant that it is difficult to make any impression upon their surface or to penetrate their interior: as hard as a stone. Solid is applied to substances that without external support retain their form and resist pressure: Water in the form of ice is solid. It sometimes denotes the opposite of hollow: a solid block of marble. Stiff implies rigidity that resists a bending force: as stiff as a poker. 2. fast, stable, immovable. 4. established, confirmed. 5. determined, immovable, staunch, reliable.
the muscle tone of healthy tissue; "his muscular firmness" [ant: unsoundness]
2.
the trait of being resolute; "his resoluteness carried him through the battle"; "it was his unshakeable resolution to finish the work" [syn: resoluteness] [ant: irresoluteness]
3.
the property of being unyielding to the touch
4.
the quality of being steady or securely and immovably fixed in place [syn: steadiness] [ant: ricketiness]
Con"stan*cy\, n. [L. constantia: cf. F. constance. See Constant.]1. The state or quality of being constant or steadfast; freedom from change; stability; fixedness; immutability; as, the constancy of God in his nature and attributes. 2. Fixedness or firmness of mind; persevering resolution; especially, firmness of mind under sufferings, steadiness in attachments, or perseverance in enterprise; stability; fidelity. A fellow of plain uncoined constancy. --Shak. Constancy and contempt of danger. --Prescott. Syn: Fixedness; stability; firmness; steadiness; permanence; steadfastness; resolution. See Firmness.
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Audio Help [furm] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, verb, adverb, -er, -est. 
