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Business English vocabulary · Negotiations

Hold firm

Meaning in business english, with examples

phraseCommon term

In business english, hold firm means: To keep your position or decision unchanged and resist pressure to accept different terms, prices, or demands.

In Turkish: geri adım atmamak

How it is used

Common in negotiations, pricing talks, and contract discussions. It describes refusing to soften a limit, price, deadline, or condition despite pressure from the other side.

Example sentences

  1. The supplier held firm on payment terms, so our finance team adjusted the delivery schedule to keep the project moving.

    Here, hold firm shows that the supplier did not change the original payment conditions, even though that forced the buyer to adapt elsewhere.

  2. During the renewal meeting, Maya held firm on the minimum price even after the client mentioned a competitor's lower offer.

    In this example, held firm means Maya kept a clear negotiating limit and refused to reduce the approved floor price.

Common collocations

  • hold firm on price
  • hold firm on terms
  • hold firm under pressure
  • negotiateTo discuss something formally with another side in order to reach an agreement both can accept, for example on price or contract terms.
  • dealAn agreement between two or more sides, especially a business arrangement to buy, sell or work together on agreed terms.

More terms: Negotiations

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