Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hold firm

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.64 in modern English

Syllables: hold -firm
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To keep to a conviction, practice, etc., unwaveringly.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

".... the depressed person's emotional agony had so completely overwhelmed her... that whenever a member of her Support System finally said that she was dreadfully sorry but she absolutely had to get off the telephone, the primal instinct for sheer emotional survival now drove the depressed person to... beg shamelessly for two or even just one more minute of the friend's time and attention, and - if the "supportive friend" held firm and terminated the conversation - to spend now hardly any time listening dully to the dial tone...."

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

holds firm (present, singular) holding firm (participle, present) held firm (participle, past) held firm (past)

Phrases

hold tight stand firm

Frequently Paired Words

hold tight stand firm

Synonyms

hold fast stand fast stand firm hold one's ground stand one's ground stand pat

Questions

What does hold firm mean?: To keep to a conviction, practice, etc., unwaveringly.

How to pronounce hold firm

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hold firm”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “hold firm” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.