firm vs secure

firm

adj
  • Steadfast, secure, solid (in position) 

  • Durable, rigid (material state) 

  • Fixed (in opinion). 

  • Insistent upon something, not accepting dissent. 

noun
  • A criminal gang, especially based around football hooliganism. 

  • A business partnership; the name under which it trades. 

  • A business enterprise, however organized. 

verb
  • To become firm; stabilise. 

  • To make firm or strong; fix securely. 

  • To improve after decline. 

  • To make compact or resistant to pressure; solidify. 

  • To shorten (of betting odds). 

  • To select (a higher education institution) as one's preferred choice, so as to enrol automatically if one's grades match the conditional offer. 

secure

adj
  • Firm and not likely to fail; stable. 

  • Free from the danger of theft; safe. 

  • Certain to be achieved or gained; assured. 

  • Free from attack or danger; protected. 

  • Free from the risk of eavesdropping, interception or discovery; secret. 

  • Confident in opinion; not entertaining, or not having reason to entertain, doubt; certain; sure; commonly used with of. 

  • Free from anxiety or doubt; unafraid. 

  • Free from the risk of financial loss; reliable. 

verb
  • To make fast; to close or confine effectually; to render incapable of getting loose or escaping. 

  • To get possession of; to make oneself secure of; to acquire certainly. 

  • To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect. 

  • To put beyond hazard of losing or of not receiving; to make certain; to assure; frequently with against or from, or formerly with of. 

How often have the words firm and secure occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )