maxim
1 Americannoun
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Hiram Percy, 1869–1936, U.S. inventor.
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his father Sir Hiram Stevens, 1840–1916, English inventor, born in the U.S.: inventor of the Maxim gun.
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Hudson, 1853–1927, U.S. inventor and explosives expert (brother of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim).
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a male given name, form of Maximilian.
noun
noun
Usage
What is a maxim? A maxim is a principle or guiding rule.A maxim is a rule, principle, or helpful guide that leads to a general truth, such as “Actions speak louder than words” and “Strive for greatness.”Different fields of philosophy develop many rules or guiding principles based on the founder of that philosophy’s studies. These will often be called maxims and will be attributed to that founder, such as Confucious’s maxims, Marx’s maxims, and Voltaire’s maxims.Maxim also describes a written or understood rule of conduct, as discussed within an organization. For example, a science lab may discuss a maxim of always keeping goggles on in certain areas of the lab.Example: My aunt, who was a short woman, often quoted the maxim “good things come in small packages.”
Related Words
See proverb.
Etymology
Origin of maxim
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English maxime ultimately from Medieval Latin maxima (originally in the phrase maxima prōpositiō “axiom,” literally, “greatest proposition”), noun use of feminine of Latin maximus, superlative of magnus “great”; much
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To rework Karl Marx’s famous maxim, sometimes historical events can be tragedy and farce at the same time, and repeat themselves in the same register.
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026
“Heel” is Tolstoy’s happy-family maxim cooked in a mad scientist’s lab.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
The venerable Warren Buffett offered this simple maxim in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors in 1986:
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
To reinforce his argument, he quotes Jim Grant’s maxim: “Successful investing is about having everyone agree with you — later.”
From MarketWatch • Jan. 22, 2026
The birds did not understand Snowball’s long words, but they accepted his explanation, and all the humbler animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
