• (America) IPA: /fɜɹm/, [fɝm]
• (RP) IPA: /fɜːm/

From Italian firma, from firmare ("to sign"), from Latin firmāre, from firmus ("firm, stable").

firm (plural firms)

1. (UK, business) A business partnership; the name under which it trades.
2. (business, economics) A business enterprise, however organized.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:enterprise

3. (slang) A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism.

• German: Firma
• Portuguese: firma
• Russian: фи́рма
• Spanish: firma

• French: entreprise
• German: Firma
• Russian: фи́рма
• Spanish: firma, empresa, bufete (law firm)

From Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus.

firm (comparative firmer, superlative firmest)

1. Steadfast, secure, solid (in position)

   It's good to have a firm grip when shaking hands.

2. Fixed (in opinion).

   a firm believer; a firm friend; a firm adherent

   firm favourites

3. Insistent upon something, not accepting dissent.

   He wanted to stay overnight, but I was firm with him and said he had to leave today.

4. Durable, rigid (material state).

   firm flesh; firm muscles, firm wood; firm land (i.e. not soft and marshy)

5. Mentally resistant to hurt or stress.
   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC ↗, Canto XVIII, page 30 ↗:

     […] The life that almost dies in me:
     That dies not, but endures with pain,
     ⁠And slowly forms the firmer mind,
     ⁠Treasuring the look it cannot find,
     The words that are not heard again.

6. Not frivolous or fallacious; trustworthy; solid; dependable.

• German: befestigt, fest, fixiert
• Portuguese: firme
• Russian: кре́пкий
• Spanish: firme

• Italian: ferreo
• Portuguese: firme
• Russian: непоколеби́мый
• Spanish: firme

• German: fest
• Portuguese: firme
• Russian: твёрдый
• Spanish: firme

firm

1. (now, rare) firmly, steadily

From Middle English fermen, partly from (either through Old French fermer or directly) Latin firmō, from firmus, and partly a new formation on the adjective.

firm (firms, present participle firming; simple past and past participle firmed)

1. (transitive) To make firm or strong; fix securely.
2. (transitive) To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify.
3. (intransitive) To become firm; stabilise.
4. (intransitive) To improve after decline.
5. (intransitive, Australia) To shorten (of betting odds).
6. (transitive, colloquial) To grit one's teeth and bear; to push through something unpleasant.

   I know you aren't feeling well, but just firm it.

7. (transitive, UK, slang) To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer.

• Portuguese: firmar
• Spanish: afirmar, hirmar

• Portuguese: firmar
• Spanish: afirmar

• Spanish: afirmarse, hirmarse