[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/firm.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / firm

[← F](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/F/)

# firm

«firm» in Mova's school dictionary: **Solid and not soft; hard to press in or move: a firm…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (firm, firmer, firmest); noun (a firm, firms); adverb (firmly)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Solid and not soft; hard to press in or move: a firm mattress, firm ground. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#m1)

2) Strong and steady: a firm grip, a firm handshake. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#m2)

3) Not likely to change; definite: a firm decision, a firm friend. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#m3)

4) Strict but fair: a firm teacher. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#m4)

5) As a noun, a firm is a company or business. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In first aid, apply firm pressure to a bleeding cut. In everyday safety, keep a firm grip on handrails and ladders, and stand on firm ground, not soft mud or thin ice. In science, firmness describes materials: a firm jelly has set. In stories, a "firm voice" shows someone is serious. In business studies, a firm employs workers and sells goods. Phrases: "firm grip", "stand firm" (not give in), "firm favourite", "firm friends", "hold firmly".

### examples

- Hold the rail firmly on the stairs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x1)
- Press firmly on the cut to stop the bleeding. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x2)
- The jelly is firm now, so we can eat it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x3)
- Our teacher is firm but fair. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x4)
- The pears aren't ripe yet; they're still firm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x5)
- We stayed on firm ground away from the bog. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x6)
- My dad works for a law firm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x7)
- Pizza is a firm favourite in our house. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x8)
- The boy stood firm and still. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/#x9)

### note

Comparison: firm, firmer, firmest. Adverb: firmly. "Firm" (adjective) is about being solid or definite; "firm" (noun) is a business — the same spelling, different meaning. Opposite: soft, loose, weak.

### In the corpora

- [A good judge would hold firm and explain why.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/3-sounding-right-and-being-right/6/)
- [Water inside plant cells pushes outwards and keeps stems firm, like air in a balloon; without enough water the plant wilts.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/56-how-plants-grow/11/)
- [The water is freezing; the Mole sinks, comes up spluttering, sinks again — until a firm paw grabs his neck.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/6/)
- [«a firm paw gripped him by the back of his neck.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/28-willows-ch1-part4-sploosh/24/)
- ["Sunsetting" means ending or discontinuing a product: the firm stops making or running it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/23-fees-bugs-and-spin/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «firm» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firm/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.