max out

verb

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of max out

intransitive verb

: to reach an upper limit or a peak

the car maxed out at 85 mph

transitive verb

: to push to a limit or an extreme; also : to use up all available credit on

maxed out the credit cards

Recent Examples of max out from the Web

According to the Learning Policy Institute study, districts where teachers could expect to one day earn around $78,000 had a turnover rate that was 31 percent lower than those districts where salaries maxed out at less than $60,000.

— NBC News, "High teacher turnover helps fuel educators' march on statehouses," 8 Apr. 2018
Under that scale, salaries generally max out at $164,200.

— stacy cowley, New York Times, "Consumer Bureau’s Chief Gives Big Raises, Even as He Criticizes Spending," 5 Apr. 2018
Other teams will max out their best players and their best lineups.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "The Emergence of Victor Oladipo Has the Pacers Going Above and Beyond," 27 Mar. 2018
Part of Harden’s MVP case—and maybe the most important knock on LeBron—is that the former is maxing out his talents every single night, while the latter is somehow holding back or coasting at times.

— nathaniel friedman, GQ, "LeBron James and Giving It Your All," 27 Mar. 2018
The new airships are also much faster, clocking up to 73 mph, while the older blimps maxed out at 50 mph.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s newest zeppelin (not blimp) will take to the skies this summer," 20 Mar. 2018
Each property appears to offer a similar aesthetic with photos looking as though they've been pulled straight from a West Elm or CB2 catalogue, and their prices max out at about $309 per night.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "Barbie is planning dolls for Frida Kahlo and other historic women: report," 6 Mar. 2018
The league's 102 players will be treated just like pro athletes on traditional sports teams, living in Cleveland and earning salaries maxing out at $35,000, and, potentially, endorsement deals and a share of the $1 million in prize money.

— joey morona, cleveland.com, "Cavs Legion selects players in inaugural NBA 2K League Draft," 4 Apr. 2018
Normally, the Core i9-8950HK maxes out at 4.6GHz after the turbo boost kicks in.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Intel's debut 6-core Core i9 CPUs could push gaming laptops past 5GHz speeds," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'max out.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of max out

1967

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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