maxim

¹ American  

[mak-sim] / ˈmæk sɪm /

noun

1. an expression of a general truth or principle, especially an aphoristic or sententious one.

   the maxims of La Rochefoucauld.

   Synonyms:

   apothegm, adage, saying, aphorism

2. a principle or rule of conduct.

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Maxim ² American  

[mak-sim, mak-seem, muh-ksyeem] / ˈmæk sɪm, makˈsim, mʌˈksyim /

noun

1. Hiram Percy, 1869–1936, U.S. inventor.

2. his father Sir Hiram Stevens, 1840–1916, English inventor, born in the U.S.: inventor of the Maxim gun.

3. Hudson, 1853–1927, U.S. inventor and explosives expert (brother of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim).

4. a male given name, form of Maximilian.

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Maxim ¹ British  

/ ˈmæksɪm /

noun

1. Sir Hiram Stevens. 1840–1916, British inventor of the first automatic machine gun (1884), born in the US

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maxim ² British  

/ ˈmæksɪm /

noun

1. a brief expression of a general truth, principle, or rule of conduct

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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

Explanation

A maxim is a succinct formulation of a principle, rule, or basic truth about life. Usually clever, maxims are like great sayings everybody knows. Ben Franklin is the author of many, including "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." A maxim sums up a fundamental principle or truth about something in a way that captures the imagination and gets repeated. Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor of Vogue magazine, once said, "Pink is the navy blue of India." May not be true, but it was such a great line it has become a maxim of fashion and even of India. An overused maxim of real estate is "Location, location, location." Confucius was spewing maxims long before Vogue hit the magazine stands: "He who learns but does not think is lost."

Example Sentences

There is an old maxim in trade theory that says free trade is the strategy of the confident.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

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

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

This result became known by the maxim: “A black hole has no hair.”

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Related Words

• adage
• aphorism
• axiom
• dictum
• motto
• proverb
• theorem