maxim

noun

max·im | \ ˈmak-səm

How to pronounce maxim (audio)

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Definition of maxim

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct Mother's favorite maxim was "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

2 : a proverbial saying advised her daughter with the maxim "marry in haste, repent at leisure"

Maxim

biographical name (1)

Max·im | \ ˈmak-səm

How to pronounce Maxim (audio)

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Definition of Maxim (Entry 2 of 3)

Sir Hiram Stevens 1840–1916 British (American-born) inventor

Maxim

biographical name (2)

Definition of Maxim (Entry 3 of 3)

Hudson 1853–1927 brother of Hiram Maxim American inventor

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about maxim

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Examples of maxim in a Sentence

Noun it's a common maxim that “a watched pot never boils,” but that's not literally true

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun This is a classic example of John F. Kennedy’s maxim that victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan. — William A. Galston, WSJ, "Biden’s First 100 Days—and the Next 100," 27 Apr. 2021 These days, show business’s age-old maxim feels more relevant than ever: The show must go on. — Max Maeckler, Vogue, "Dua Lipa Performed at Sir Elton John’s Virtual AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Pre-Party," 26 Apr. 2021 Newton’s third law, that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, is a tired maxim of everyday physics, but when your face is involved in the equation the third law becomes the only thing in the universe that matters. — John Seabrook, The New Yorker, "The E-Scooters Loved by Silicon Valley Roll Into New York," 19 Apr. 2021 One particularly eventful day sees a piglet get lost in a pile of straw, only to eventually find its way out, and no offense to George Bernard Shaw, but the maxim that there can be no drama without conflict has never felt more false. — Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Gunda’ proves to be a wordlessly sublime slice of porcine life down on the farm," 15 Apr. 2021 But the old maxim has taken on a new and more plausible form today. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "Western Culture Elites Are Giving Away Lenin’s Rope," 22 Mar. 2021 The maxim hangs aptly alongside the show’s most unusual contribution, Ashley Shey’s cloth-and-canvas abstraction, not exactly a print but hand-sewn in an edition of 10. — Washington Post, "In the galleries: A focus on the intersection of art and movement," 26 Feb. 2021 Now, with people in Rome anticipating the completion, after more than two years, of one of Francis’s signature initiatives—a reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, known as the Curia—the Latin maxim is back on the agenda. — Paul Elie, The New Yorker, "Is the Vatican Finally Ready to Get Serious About Women in the Church?," 3 Mar. 2021 Three decades ago, the once-mighty savings and loan industry destroyed itself, partly by ignoring that maxim. — James Freeman, WSJ, "‘Schools Not Screens’," 1 Mar. 2021

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

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Last Updated

30 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Maxim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maxim. Accessed 7 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for maxim

maxim

noun

English Language Learners Definition of maxim

: a well-known phrase that expresses a general truth about life or a rule about behavior

See the full definition for maxim in the English Language Learners Dictionary

maxim

noun

max·im | \ ˈmak-səm

\

Kids Definition of maxim

: a short saying (as “live and let live”) expressing a general truth or rule of conduct

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