firming (up)

verb

Definition of firming (up)next
present participle of firm (up)
as in freezing
to become physically firm or solid wait for the modeling clay to firm up before handling the finished pot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for firming (up)
  1. freezing
  2. hardening
  3. stiffening
Verb
  • Make vegan avocado ice cream by blending avocado, coconut milk, and lemon zest and freezing it in an ice cream maker.
    — Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There is no shortage of unstudied percolation systems that their technique could apply to — like graphs where the nodes don’t all look identical, or more complicated models that describe freezing water or quantum materials.
    — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of freezing
Verb
  • Hope for finding survivors is fading as rescuers race against time and quickly hardening mud.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
  • OpenAI halted some of its AI model training and is hardening its testing, monitoring and training protocols following the incident.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hardening
Verb
  • Offering a 35% incentive aimed at stiffening up jobs here and enticing post-production to relocate to the Golden State, AB 2319 is racing toward a vote in the state Senate by next week once the bill is in final shape.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Softening rather than stiffening when moving through space requires embracing your body’s natural sway and tiny micro-movements, like an ankle wobbling or knee jiggling.
    — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of stiffening
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

firmed (up)
firming (up)
firmly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Firming (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firming%20%28up%29. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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