firm
 I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a clear/firm decision (=a definite one)
▪ It's now time to come to a clear decision on this.
a construction company/firm
▪ It’s the largest construction company in Mexico.
a firm conclusion (=definite decision)
▪ At the end of the day, no firm conclusion had been reached.
a firm friend (=a friend you like a lot and intend to keep)
▪ They had remained firm friends ever since they first met.
a firm friendship (=one that is strong and not likely to change)
▪ I established a firm friendship with Terence.
a firm handshake (=holding and shaking someone's hand firmly)
▪ Stan greeted me with a firm handshake.
a firm pledge
▪ He also gave a firm pledge to build up the National Health Service.
a firm promise (=definite)
▪ What had happened to all those firm promises of help?
a firm/strong belief
▪ It is still my firm belief that we did the right thing.
a firm/tight grip
▪ The streets were crowded and she kept a tight grip on her bag.
a good/firm/thorough etc grasp of sth
▪ Steve has a good grasp of the European legal system.
a rival company/firm
▪ It may have to merge with a rival company to stay in business.
a solid/firm/strong base
▪ A good education should give you a solid base for life.
a sound/firm/secure footing
▪ They managed to get the business onto a more secure footing.
a sound/firm/solid basis
▪ Drama school may provide a sound basis for an acting career.
a tight/firm hold
▪ Rose had a tight hold of her hand.
an employee joins a company/firm etc
▪ Employees who join the firm after April receive a percentage of the annual bonus.
an old/firm/particular favourite
▪ a sweater that’s an old favorite
electronics company/industry/firm etc
firm
▪ a round loaf with a firm texture
firm/soft/hard etc mattress
▪ an old, lumpy mattress
firm/tough action
▪ We need firm action to deal with the problem.
good/strong/firm discipline (=clear rules that people understand and must obey)
▪ Without good discipline in a school, the standard of teaching suffers.
law firm
PR agency/firm/consultant
▪ a large PR firm
reputable firm/company
▪ If you have a burglar alarm fitted, make sure it is done by a reputable company.
solid/firm foundation
▪ The course gives students a solid foundation in the basics of computing.
start a business/company/firm etc
▪ She wanted to start her own catering business.
take a tough/firm/hard line on sth
▪ The school takes a very tough line on drugs.
wet/firm/soft etc underfoot
▪ The wet wood is very slippery underfoot.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
 ADJECTIVE
foreign
▪ And, Mr Trittin notes, some of the buyers were large foreign financial firms, taking advantage of the weak dollar.
▪ Meanwhile many public assets were sold off cheaply, often to foreign firms.
▪ Staying friendly with foreign telephone firms also helps in other ways.
▪ And there are also foreign firms, Netto and Aldi, who are trying to get a toehold here.
▪ Some local legislatures have begun to demand bigger payments from foreign mining firms working on their turf.
large
▪ Effectively, there are three large airliner firms left in the world market.
▪ Partners of Kaye Fialkow will become partners of the larger New York firm.
▪ Capital then emerges again more efficient, but concentrated in larger firms the successful absorbing the weak.
▪ National Express, a large bus transport firm.
▪ We will shortly examine the policies which have been adopted to restrict the degree of monopoly power exercised by large firms.
▪ A third major source of short-term financing, commercial paper, is available to large firms with high-quality credit ratings.
▪ Both of these tendencies were well under way by 1985 with nearly all the large firms included in Table 11.1.
▪ Philadelphia had but few large firms with many hundreds or thousands of employees.
local
▪ Gifts in kind on a larger scale by local shops or firms also exist on a large scale.
▪ For help in getting started, call sales managers of well-known local brokerage firms.
▪ Implementing a series of recycling procedures in corporation offices and preparing information leaflets for local firms about similar initiatives.
▪ Did they call a local architecture firm?
▪ Already complementary technology agreements have been made among local firms to support these ambitions.
▪ Whether by some form of contract or by increasing local capital, firms can continue expanding their economic involvement.
▪ But, though local firms contributed, the public still footed much of the bill.
▪ The arrival of a new and major market in the Lancaster area represents a major opportunity for local firms.
major
▪ This all goes to dissuade consultants in the major firms from leaving.
▪ Several major law firms have recently enacted codes of conduct to delineate appropriate behavior and to ward off official complaints.
▪ This has meant that one of the major firms of chartered accountants has been employed.
▪ The city also reached agreement with a major development firm to market the industrial park area.
▪ This sub-sector is an increasingly competitive one which all of the major firms have identified as a growth area.
▪ For 15 years, I have worked for a nonprofit civil-rights organization that regularly enjoys the co-counsel support of major law firms.
▪ The promotion makes him the youngest chief executive of a major Wall Street firm.
▪ Barriers had disappeared in all the top universities, the major law firms, and most industries.
private
▪ The Government also wants private firms to curtail wage rises, currently running at around six percent.
▪ There is no private law firm where the defeated candidates can retire.
▪ Employees of the private firms selected would be helpless to resist Provisional dictates.
▪ Even when private firms do not have monopolies, they at times develop enough political power to stifle competition.
▪ It is good for business, giving private firms new opportunities to market their services.
▪ Some are run by private schools or firms, on contract with school districts.
▪ They're protesting at the government's proposals to allow private firms to tender for prison work.
▪ It shows that in most cases, private firms deliver services more economically than public organizations.
small
▪ That is already happening: lending to small firms rose only 5.5% last year.
▪ It may be particularly difficult for small firms to provide highly structured and intensive work-based learning experiences.
▪ For small firms that could reach 2.6 per cent.
▪ In general, smaller firms are more flexible.
▪ Business rates will become a local tax again, with rate rebates for small firms.
▪ This would discriminate against the growth of small, new firms, which may rely on bank loans to finance their investment.
▪ For a small firm of solicitors in a market town, conveyancing has accounted for about half of all fee income.
▪ By 1989, there were 3,000 -a net gain of 1,200 in office functions, retailing and small firms in nursery workshops.
NOUN
brokerage
▪ Because she has a substantial portfolio, she should be able to seek this out at any full-service brokerage firm.
▪ Officials at all three brokerage firms say the charge applies to a relatively few clients.
▪ With leading brokerage firms possessing large customer bases such as Goldman, Sachs&038;.
▪ The authority said the banks and brokerage firms eliminated or are resolving the problems.
▪ No banks or brokerage firms failed.
▪ Adler Coleman, a clearing company for about 40 brokerage firms, files for bankruptcy protection.
▪ With the vast majority of suburban commuters unable to get to New York, brokerage firms were operating with skeleton staffs.
▪ Computer and semiconductor stocks slid as three brokerage firms downgraded earnings estimates for Dell Computer.
law
▪ New York-based Martindale-Hubbell publishes an eight-volume guide to the legal profession which contains entries for 700,000 lawyers and 44,000 law firms.
▪ Most law firms, in my view, are self-perpetuating aristocracies.
▪ Other law firms may be less conscientious.
▪ Law firm were law firms, and areas such as marketing and finance were foreign to them.
▪ The historic deal, hammered out with the 60 law firms representing the Castano case, is intriguing.
▪ He could hook up with one of those fancy law firms in Minneapolis.
research
▪ A panel of households was recruited, all of which agreed to buy their tea through the research firm for three months.
▪ So I called in a market research firm and commissioned a survey of the district.
▪ Inc., a social research firm for Domini.
▪ Weprin Associates, a New York-based research firm.
▪ Nationally, about 37 percent of households have a computer, according to Odyssey, a technology research firm in San Francisco.
▪ Young, the accounting research firm.
search
▪ As we suggested, this applies even to the largest and most prestigious search firms.
▪ Although the firm was based in Minneapolis, the executive search firm found Ed in New York.
▪ The top multinational search firms, according to users, have a number of advantages.
▪ It follows four major initial public offerings of such search firms in the last three months.
▪ Remuneration planning remains an activity of growing importance for search firms such as Tyzack, as companies agglomerate and national compensation characteristics clash.
▪ No executive search firm has been named.
▪ Overall, use of search is now widespread enough to enable search firms to ride out storms in specific sectors.
▪ The early search firms were dominated by two types of individuals.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be a (great/firm) believer in sth
▪ Daley was a firm believer in the bootstrap theory.
▪ He was a firm believer in the power of prayer.
▪ He was a great believer in expressing aggression, not bottling it up.
▪ Lampard was a great believer in eating whenever you could.
▪ Letterman is a believer in the immigrant mentality.
▪ Molly was a believer in homeopathy and underwent her last operation and subsequent treatment in the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital.
▪ She is a believer in fundamentals, in technique.
▪ Tip is a firm believer in fate, and in 1961 the finger pointed in the right direction for him.
brokerage house/firm
▪ Adler Coleman, a clearing company for about 40 brokerage firms, files for bankruptcy protection.
▪ Also, many foreign-exchange brokerage firms closed at noon.
▪ Because she has a substantial portfolio, she should be able to seek this out at any full-service brokerage firm.
▪ Computer and semiconductor stocks slid as three brokerage firms downgraded earnings estimates for Dell Computer.
▪ Of course, there is intense competition among the London brokerage houses to signal their bids as fast as possible.
▪ The authority said the banks and brokerage firms eliminated or are resolving the problems.
small business/firm/farmer etc
▪ As a consequence, greater emphasis has been placed upon encouraging locally-based regeneration, and especially upon a revival of small firms.
▪ But it also is threatening the livelihoods of many small business operators in San Diego and elsewhere.
▪ Confiscatory taxes and overly complex tax regulations make it exceedingly difficult for small business to perform this basic function.
▪ On March 19 it passed a regulatory reform bill, which is intended to lighten the weight of government on small businesses.
▪ Paid holidays are 25 percent fewer in small firms and only half of this allowance is actually taken.
▪ The company also has expanded its offerings to help large and small businesses use the Internet and private computer networks.
▪ The Northern arm currently caters to the needs of more than 1,000 small businesses.
▪ The people believed, and many of them were putting money into improving their homes, modernizing their small businesses.
stand firm/stand fast
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Edward got a job with a firm of accountants in London.
▪ Hanson decided to start his own management consulting firm.
▪ Harris joined the firm in 1992.
▪ She works for a law firm in Amsterdam.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ But what followed was usually at least embarrassing for the firms, and quite often the disclosures provoked international action.
▪ But while workers in food factories are regularly inspected, sandwiches are often made by small firms and even one-man-bands.
▪ Now his firm has been axed from school duties in Swansea and faces prosecution.
▪ Paid holidays are 25 percent fewer in small firms and only half of this allowance is actually taken.
▪ She moved to Federated late last year to help the firm set up a new emerging markets fund.
▪ The firm then reimbursed the fund for the $ 200, 000 it had received from the fund for legal costs.
▪ When defaults proliferate, as they do during and after recessions, the two firms wield enormous clout in financial markets.
II. adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
NOUN
action
▪ Mr Dunion praised the charter's sentiments but criticised its lack of a firm action plan.
▪ Despite government promises of firm action, no official had to date been convicted of corruption.
▪ There are, no doubt, some circumstances where firm action is urgently necessary and where vacillation or debate would be fatal.
▪ Their teeth are sharp, and if you are bitten it is important to take firm action.
▪ Lack of any firm action by the police even led the Board to take the whole issue to the High Court.
▪ The Metropolitan Police will not hesitate to take firm action to free communities from this tiny minority.
▪ Conclusion Commitment and firm action are necessary in order to improve the standard of financial accountability in the public sector.
base
▪ A shift in the weather pattern, bringing low pressure systems across the Alps in December laid down a firm base.
▪ There is a sort of secret cave under the far bank which must be filled before a firm base can be established.
▪ The capitalist tenant, the concessionaire and so forth will similarly have a firm base in the growing economically petty-bourgeois element.
▪ That hope rests on a firm base.
basis
▪ This provides a firm basis for the new interest in evaluation and an earnest desire for its continued growth.
▪ This is where Hardware Anxiety Syndrome has a firm basis in fact.
▪ A single experiment of this sort can not provide a firm basis for any wide-ranging claims.
▪ But such wonder, such admiration, has its firmest basis in the discovery by faith of the marvel that is man.
▪ And yet he has not yet been able to put his legitimacy on a firm basis.
▪ In the future, broader co-operation and co-ordination may follow from the firm basis of this work.
▪ Was this just because she saw herself as a Frieda Lawrence figure, or was there some firmer basis for it?
▪ We can thus put our study on a firmer basis of observation and evidence than if we took a broader domain.
belief
▪ There was a firm belief among old-time ferreters that the ferrets needed to be vicious and half-starved to do their work well.
▪ A firm belief in the priesthood of all believers means that singing belongs to the whole congregation as well as to the choir.
believer
▪ He was a firm believer in the power of prayer.
▪ Bill Tobin is a firm believer that the scouting department should have more influence than assistant coaches in running the draft.
▪ Despite the obstacles they encountered in their research and their own experience, the three young interviewers remain firm believers in inclusion.
▪ Daley was a firm believer in the bootstrap theory.
▪ A firm believer in mysticism and fate, he felt he had ignored the course his intuition was guiding him to follow.
commitment
▪ But the environment minister, Tom King, could not give any firm commitment to further government funds.
▪ That sounds like a firm commitment.
▪ The most far-reaching omission was the lack of any firm commitment to a policy for integration.
▪ A third was that decentralization requires a firm commitment from the top.
▪ The rest of the world owes them at least a firm commitment to primary education.
▪ The root of materialism is probably a firm commitment to empirical scientific method as the only reliable way to discover truth.
▪ Such a firm commitment was not sought at this stage.
▪ It was not until the second half of the 1950s that autarchy was definitively superseded by a firm commitment to international capitalism.
conclusion
▪ With regard to acquittal rates in the magistrates' courts, our data are too uncertain to draw firm conclusions as they are incomplete.
▪ Interpretation of the vast library of information in these radar images continues, but a number of firm conclusions are already evident.
▪ It was too early to reach firm conclusions as to the direction's effectiveness.
▪ Any firm conclusions would require much more lengthy analysis than is possible in this book.
▪ Would seeing a re-run of the incident, as he had recounted it, help Terry Gill to a firmer conclusion?
▪ Perhaps the only firm conclusion to emerge from this continuing debate is the recognition that the literary scene has become pluralistic.
▪ However, planetary chemistry is sufficiently complicated that this can not be regarded as a firm conclusion.
▪ It is not possible to come to a firm conclusion about this project in financial terms at the moment.
control
▪ To keep firm control over public spending.
▪ Mr Fujimori's backers seemed in firm control of media coverage of the election.
▪ Lockyer maintains firm control over Rules Committee decisions.
▪ These empires, run by the internalized voices of deified ancestors, demanded a firm control of classes and sections of society.
▪ You'd be wise, Miss Holbrook, to keep a firm control on your own lively imagination.
▪ Angel One had firm control of himself again, after his uncharacteristic loss of self-control.
conviction
▪ It is the firm conviction of your Board that you should not become shareholders in a company with such an unsound strategy.
▪ Like fighters, those who flee tend to hold firm convictions about how progress and growth ought to be achieved.
▪ Believe he could not, and at the same time he had no firm conviction that all was untrue.
▪ Fighting Organizational Behavior Patterns Strong, healthy individuals have firm convictions and beliefs.
▪ The right hon. Lady said no, no, no out of firm conviction.
decision
▪ A firm decision was taken at the onset of the competition to have 12 finalist.
▪ These matters will be looked at before a firm decision is taken.
▪ Under these difficult conditions, some firm decisions had to be made on cost savings, both with regard to investment and labour.
▪ The University said tonight the governing body at Somerville had made no firm decision on admitting male students today.
evidence
▪ They all point to Meredith Putt - but we've no firm evidence to offer a court.
▪ All had probably served the Nevilles, although firm evidence survives only for the Withams, Gowers and Constables.
▪ There is no firm evidence either way.
▪ It was thought for a long time that he was a Carthusian but there is no firm evidence for this.
▪ Yet dozens of independent scientists around the world have provided firm evidence linking OPs with similar symptoms.
favourite
▪ The Many-Spotted Catfish, Synodontis multipunctatus is a firm favourite among catfish enthusiasts.
▪ The dramatic headland of St Govan's Head is a firm favourite with climbers and there are many bridlepaths and riding schools.
▪ A firm favourite with visiting performers, since it's just a few yards from the Royal Opera House.
▪ Our local library, Macdonald Road, Edinburgh, produced a book on fishing that became my firm favourite.
▪ Once you have served baked jacket potatoes this dish will become a firm favourite.
▪ And as we all know the show remains a firm favourite.
foundation
▪ No building can stand without firm foundations, and neither can a marriage.
▪ Particularist feeling in the duchy of Aosta was hallowed by centuries of tradition and grounded in a firm foundation of local institutions.
▪ Then new gravel is laid directly on top - the old gravel will form a firm foundation.
▪ In fact, the learning rule can be given a firmer foundation.
▪ Therefore, the soil has to be removed down to firm ground, and a firm foundation prepared for the side walls.
▪ These are the firm foundations of economic recovery.
▪ Or concrete can be used as a firm foundation for a more decorative finish later.
▪ We will also continue to support the recruitment and development of trainees to provide a firm foundation for our future development.
friend
▪ They had remained firm friends ever since their first meeting.
▪ Many volunteers return many times and become strongly attached to a favourite reserve - and make firm friends.
▪ From my angle Edward and I were now firm friends.
▪ The girls' parents had held her in high regard and they had become firm friends.
▪ It was their second get-together, and the two have now become firm friends.
▪ It was the right decision for us both and we're still firm friends.
▪ He first met Minton in a top-floor club in Wardour Street and they became firm friends.
▪ We became firm friends and corresponded long after the war ended, but sadly he died in Zagreb in 1975.
grasp
▪ It remained his belief, though, that a firm grasp of wider realities would serve him well.
▪ Usually this happens because the task is too broadly stated to get a firm grasp on it.
grip
▪ As darkness gains a firmer grip the songbirds fade and the owls start.
▪ I took a firm grip on the wheel as I scented some-thing.
▪ The other retained its firm grip on the reins.
▪ I keep a firm grip on my hat and stare into the blustery abyss.
▪ It is like trying to get a firm grip on a plateful of pudding.
▪ He grasped Dalgliesh's hand with a firm grip but didn't speak.
▪ She struck out blindly and found herself taken in a firm grip.
▪ Right-wing think-tanks have an even firmer grip.
ground
▪ With John Ingram we are on firmer ground.
▪ There had been such a wide expanse of firm ground that a trench had never been worn.
▪ One can begin on fairly firm ground by asking how many officials had the necessary qualifications and experience for their work.
▪ It's good to feel the firm ground underfoot after hours of trudging through flooded fields and over hedgerows in the darkness.
▪ Therefore, the soil has to be removed down to firm ground, and a firm foundation prepared for the side walls.
▪ In regard to the wealth of individual secular priests we are on firmer ground.
▪ Only ten feet later she touched firm ground again.
hand
▪ In other respects careful management and a firm hand pushed up the royal income.
▪ When Barkley Ball was at its peak, there was little need for a firm hand.
▪ Finally fold the ribbon back on itself and press the strain relief device into position with firm hand pressure.
▪ In fact, a firm hand might have steered the team on the rocks.
▪ A firm hand on the reins?
▪ Although he runs the operation with a firm hand, the Steelers are more like a family than any other team.
▪ Lizzy would need a firm hand after this.
▪ The guests had been selected with a boldness and discrimination in which the initiated recognized the firm hand of Catherine the Great.
hold
▪ But at current levels the shares are a firm hold.
▪ As she staggered awkwardly, he grabbed firm hold of the sagging pyjama-jacket, arresting her flight as he held her there.
▪ Clumps of sturdy weed grew wherever they could take a firm hold.
▪ As soon as one does so, its lips close around it, giving it a firm hold.
▪ Choose a firm hold variant which will keep your style in place during winder weather and light drizzle.
▪ Each brush has a heat-resistant handle with a rubber-neck grip for firm hold while you style.
▪ Teachers of reading need to keep a firm hold of their hats, their expertise and their integrity.
▪ Nevertheless, the mountain goat maintains a tenuous but firm hold in its cruel environment, even though catastrophe is never far away.
line
▪ So the ambassador could not take a single firm line.
▪ Her long, graceful neck curved into the round, firm line of her bodice.
▪ The constable closed his lips in a firm line and made his way through to the yard.
▪ Stopping short of direction intervention, Carter had taken a firm line.
▪ But the Young King was incapable of taking a firm line.
offer
▪ Agree with the vendors the timetable of events following the meeting and the deadline for the revised firm offers.
▪ I got the script with a firm offer.
▪ If no firm offer has been made within three months the farmer is free to go ahead with his original plans.
▪ Now one firm offers a free guarantee that you won't lose out.
stand
▪ Handing his keys to the parking valet, he decided that he would take a firm stand.
▪ The decision to take a firm stand comes after local councillors revealed the misery suffered by many of their constituents.
▪ Dauntless decided to take a firm stand in the matter.
supporter
▪ As a former schoolmaster, he has always been outspoken on education issues and a firm supporter of traditional learning methods.
▪ Bob Dole had seemed a firm supporter, but that was then.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be a (great/firm) believer in sth
▪ Daley was a firm believer in the bootstrap theory.
▪ He was a firm believer in the power of prayer.
▪ He was a great believer in expressing aggression, not bottling it up.
▪ Lampard was a great believer in eating whenever you could.
▪ Letterman is a believer in the immigrant mentality.
▪ Molly was a believer in homeopathy and underwent her last operation and subsequent treatment in the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital.
▪ She is a believer in fundamentals, in technique.
▪ Tip is a firm believer in fate, and in 1961 the finger pointed in the right direction for him.
brokerage house/firm
▪ Adler Coleman, a clearing company for about 40 brokerage firms, files for bankruptcy protection.
▪ Also, many foreign-exchange brokerage firms closed at noon.
▪ Because she has a substantial portfolio, she should be able to seek this out at any full-service brokerage firm.
▪ Computer and semiconductor stocks slid as three brokerage firms downgraded earnings estimates for Dell Computer.
▪ Of course, there is intense competition among the London brokerage houses to signal their bids as fast as possible.
▪ The authority said the banks and brokerage firms eliminated or are resolving the problems.
stand firm/stand fast
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ a firm red tomato
▪ A dam about a mile upriver from the city held firm during the earthquake.
▪ Buy peaches that are quite firm, as they ripen very quickly indoors.
▪ Cook macaroni until tender but still firm.
▪ Emily was polite but firm - her answer was 'no'.
▪ For this recipe you will need six firm tomatoes.
▪ I find I sleep better on a firm mattress.
▪ The dollar began Friday on a firm note.
▪ These exercises are good for making your stomach muscles nice and firm.
▪ We're going to have to be very firm with her, but still treat her with respect.
▪ What you need is a firmer mattress.
▪ You'll just have to be firm with him and tell him he can't have any more money.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Leapor is firm that her friend will be happier with a man who is dependable and who lives within his means.
▪ Monkfish has a very firm and meaty flesh, so it's easy to use for kebabs.
▪ The cut surface was firm and pale, but with no areas of necrosis.
▪ The suspension is the same as that used in the Sunny GTi, which makes it firm without being too hard.
▪ There was something about the firm set of her body that Jay knew instinctively: she was a survivor.
▪ Winding down I gave a firm strike only to find that I had missed the take, I was gutted.
III. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
ADVERB
up
▪ Although I haven't given up trying to firm up my arms, I'd like to disguise them, too.
▪ Within eighteen months, they had firmed up a business plan, and Liz said good-bye to her migraines.
▪ The researchers are to examine more trees including four more species before they firm up their claims.
▪ Eckersley was made in Oakland, firmed up in Fremont and raised to his glory in Oakland again.
▪ I made contact, and the arrangements were firmed up over the next week.
▪ That figure is expected to increase by an additional 700, 000 when the 1995 figures are firmed up.
▪ If not a few sessions a week on an inclined treadmill should help firm up those wobbly thighs.
NOUN
street
▪ The plan also would make it less attractive to financial institutions and Wall Street firms to own tax-exempt municipal bonds.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be a (great/firm) believer in sth
▪ Daley was a firm believer in the bootstrap theory.
▪ He was a firm believer in the power of prayer.
▪ He was a great believer in expressing aggression, not bottling it up.
▪ Lampard was a great believer in eating whenever you could.
▪ Letterman is a believer in the immigrant mentality.
▪ Molly was a believer in homeopathy and underwent her last operation and subsequent treatment in the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital.
▪ She is a believer in fundamentals, in technique.
▪ Tip is a firm believer in fate, and in 1961 the finger pointed in the right direction for him.
brokerage house/firm
▪ Adler Coleman, a clearing company for about 40 brokerage firms, files for bankruptcy protection.
▪ Also, many foreign-exchange brokerage firms closed at noon.
▪ Because she has a substantial portfolio, she should be able to seek this out at any full-service brokerage firm.
▪ Computer and semiconductor stocks slid as three brokerage firms downgraded earnings estimates for Dell Computer.
▪ Of course, there is intense competition among the London brokerage houses to signal their bids as fast as possible.
▪ The authority said the banks and brokerage firms eliminated or are resolving the problems.
small business/firm/farmer etc
▪ As a consequence, greater emphasis has been placed upon encouraging locally-based regeneration, and especially upon a revival of small firms.
▪ But it also is threatening the livelihoods of many small business operators in San Diego and elsewhere.
▪ Confiscatory taxes and overly complex tax regulations make it exceedingly difficult for small business to perform this basic function.
▪ On March 19 it passed a regulatory reform bill, which is intended to lighten the weight of government on small businesses.
▪ Paid holidays are 25 percent fewer in small firms and only half of this allowance is actually taken.
▪ The company also has expanded its offerings to help large and small businesses use the Internet and private computer networks.
▪ The Northern arm currently caters to the needs of more than 1,000 small businesses.
▪ The people believed, and many of them were putting money into improving their homes, modernizing their small businesses.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ The researchers are to examine more trees including four more species before they firm up their claims.
firm
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.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + 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.
phrases
▪a firm of solicitors/accountants/surveyors etc
▪ Ms Shaw is a partner in a firm of solicitors.
verbs
▪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.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪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.
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 OPP 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 SYN 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 SYN steady
firm against
▪ The pound is still firm against the dollar.
—firmly adverb
—firmness noun [UNCOUNTABLE]
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
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