firmly

From Middle English fermely; equivalent to firm +‎ -ly.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɝmli/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fɜːmli/

• Audio (US):

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• Hyphenation: firm‧ly

firmly (comparative firmlier or more firmly, superlative firmliest or most firmly)

1. (manner) In a firm or definite or strong manner.

   She corrected him firmly but gently.

2. (manner) Securely.

   Tie the rope firmly to the post.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.

   • 2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations.