terra firma

noun

ter·​ra fir·​ma ˌter-ə-ˈfər-mə How to pronounce terra firma (audio)
also -ˈfir-
Synonyms of terra firmanext
: dry land : solid ground

Synonyms of terra firma

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of terra firma in a Sentence

after that nightmarish storm, the sailors were grateful to reach terra firma
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Viewed from the waters of Turner Creek, a serpentine tributary east of Savannah, the dock stretches so far across the marsh that even those with 20-20 vision must squint to see where planking meets terra firma. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Cast as Eva, the head of an international organization trying to save the planet in Project Hail Mary, Hüller spends this sci-fi blockbuster strictly on terra firma, acting as a socially awkward, deadpan foil for Ryan Gosling’s reluctant astronaut. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026 The team determined that meteorites that reach terra firma ironically went through more melting and fragmentation, which slowed them down enought to actually land. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 As the United States of America celebrated its 250th birthday on terra firma with fireworks displays this weekend, two Asian countries made some splashes of their own farther from Earth. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for terra firma

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, literally, solid land

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of terra firma was in 1638

Rhymes for terra firma

See All Rhymes for terra firma

Browse Nearby Words

terrae filius
terra firma
terraform
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Terra firma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terra%20firma. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

terra firma

noun
ter·​ra fir·​ma
-ˈfər-mə
: dry land : solid ground
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All