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• maxim
  maxim

  noun

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

  noun

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

maxim

¹ American  

[mak-sim] / ˈmæk sɪm /

noun

• maxims
  plural

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, mʌˈksjim /

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.”

Synonym Usage

See proverb.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• maxims
  plural

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”; see 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

See Examples For:

maxim Maxim maxims

The first Graham showcased how the ability to compartmentalize in politics can be a great gift — a nod to the old maxim that today’s enemy might be tomorrow’s friend.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Billionaire Warren Buffett had a simple maxim for navigating Berkshire Hathaway through the financial crisis of 2007-09.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

In the coaching world, there is a maxim some believe in - that teams are built in the image of their coaches.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

As the old maxim has it, those who like this sort of thing will find it the sort of thing they like.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

Or, more simply, the maxim of St. Augustine: “Love, and then do what you will.”

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

Vladimir Kucherenko, a Russian nationalist YouTuber who uses the pseudonym Maxim Kalashnikov, wrote on social media Thursday that Moscow police had summoned him for questioning after he posted a video of the initial refinery attack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

She’s appeared in Maxim and cleaned up in poker tournaments when that was a thing.

From Salon ● May 4, 2026

Maxim, 49, said the health ministry directive was only a recommendation.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

Russian conductor and pianist Maxim Emelyanychev brings improvisational flair to Baroque and classical period music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

Here we sat together, Maxim and I, hand-in-hand, and the past and the future mattered not at all.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

“Be greedy when others are fearful” is one half of one of Warren Buffett’s most well-known investing maxims.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

Inside the company, Beccari’s favorite maxims quickly began to circulate: “If you have everything under control, you’re not going fast enough,” and “Victory is not important. It’s the only thing that counts.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

Some of these maxims might result in more films like Tommy Wiseau’s disasterpiece “The Room.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025

Journalists, so those maxims go, should never make themselves the story or get too close to those they are covering.

From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024

Pirkei Avot is a collection of Rabbinic maxims, and a chapter of it is studied by many Jews every Shabbat between Passover and the Jewish New Year.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Related Words

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