maxim

noun max·im \ ˈmak-səm \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

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

The old maxim about the overpromising and underdelivering is usually applied to the client side of things.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "Do the Phillies really have enough at-bats to go around Gabe Kapler's lineup? | David Murphy," 6 Apr. 2018
To paraphrase that trusty old Chicago journalism maxim: If John Fox says his mother loves him, check out Kevin White’s shin.

— phil rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Why in the world would ESPN hire cranky ex-Bears coach John Fox?," 21 Mar. 2018
One maxim of constitutional law is that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

— cristian farias, Daily Intelligencer, "The President of the United States Can Be Dragged Into Court for Defamation Case, Judge Rules," 20 Mar. 2018
Live by this maxim: A colorful sandwich is a flavorful sandwich.

— the healthyish team, Bon Appetit, "How To Build Better Vegetarian Sandwiches," 21 Feb. 2018
But until now, no one had ever put that maxim to the test by examining the cognitive activity of friends in real time.

— karen kaplan, latimes.com, "Brain scans reveal that friends really are on the same wavelength," 30 Jan. 2018
Another old maxim presupposes that people who are more physically active burn more calories than less active people.

— Scientific American, "The Science of Diet & Exercise," 27 Feb. 2018
The first source is the Quran, which is the ultimate authority, followed by the Sunnah of the Prophet, that is, his maxims and customary practices also known as the Hadith.

— said ahmed-zaid, idahostatesman, "Legislature’s anti-sharia law bill is unnecessary and discriminatory | Idaho Statesman," 9 Feb. 2018
If my maxims are still valid, history should be repeating itself in China.

— michael schuman, Bloomberg.com, "What If China Is Exempt From the Laws of Economics?," 24 Jan. 2018

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

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First Known Use: 1567

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