firm 1 S1 W1 / fɜm $ fɜrm / 名词 [可数名词] #

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.

短语

a firm of solicitors/accountants/surveyors etc Ms Shaw is a partner in a firm of solicitors.

动词

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 / kənɡlɒmərət, kənɡlɒmərɪt $ -ɡlɑ- / 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.

firm S3 W2 adjective #

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 [名词前不用] 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 [不可数名词]

firm 3 verb [及物动词] #

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