Definition of maxim
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”
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Examples of maxim in a Sentence
it's a common maxim that “a watched pot never boils,” but that's not literally true
Recent Examples of maxim from the Web
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The answers are shocking to anybody remotely familiar with pitching maxims over the past 100 years.
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So in this new-age era of AI, the old maxim still applies: Garbage in, garbage out.
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The maxim in the NBA is that teams don’t contend without superstar talent.
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One of Washington's unwritten rules is this simple maxim: never underestimate Mitch McConnell.
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S.O.E. stands for Success Over Everything, a maxim adopted by Bryant and his friends growing up.
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A fact of Washington life that ought to be a maxim, but isn't: not every important moment gets a headline.
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So the use of this particular maxim to close out a trailer that opens on a shot of Sansa in Winterfell's godswood seems to only add credence to the theory that the two sisters are fated to finally see each other again.
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An old maxim in retail is: Location, Location, Location.
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.
Origin and Etymology of maxim
Middle English maxime, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin maxima, from Latin, feminine of maximus, superlative of magnus large — more at much
Other Literature Terms
Maxim
playDefinition of Maxim
Sir Hiram Stevens 1840–1916 British (American-born) inventor
Maxim
Definition of Maxim
Hudson 1853–1927 brother of Hiram Maxim American inventor
MAXIM Defined for English Language Learners
maxim
playDefinition of maxim for English Language Learners
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: a well-known phrase that expresses a general truth about life or a rule about behavior
MAXIM Defined for Kids
maxim
playDefinition of maxim for Students
: a short saying (as “live and let live”) expressing a general truth or rule of conduct
Learn More about maxim
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for maxim Spanish Central: Translation of maxim Nglish: Translation of maxim for Spanish speakers
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