maximize
Americanverb (used with object)
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maximizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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maximized,
past participle, past
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maximizing
present participle
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to increase to the greatest possible amount or degree.
to look for ways of maximizing profit.
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to represent at the highest possible estimate; magnify.
He maximized his importance in the program, minimizing the contributions of the other participants.
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to make the greatest or fullest use of.
Maximize your time by planning ahead.
verb
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(tr) to make as high or great as possible; increase to a maximum
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maths to find the maximum of (a function)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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maximizesimple
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maximizessimple
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have maximizedperfect
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has maximizedperfect
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am maximizingprogressive
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are maximizingprogressive
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is maximizingprogressive
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have been maximizingperfect progressive
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has been maximizingperfect progressive
Past
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maximizedsimple
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had maximizedperfect
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was maximizingprogressive
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were maximizingprogressive
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had been maximizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of maximize
Explanation
When you maximize something, you make it as big as you possibly can, the way you would maximize your chances of winning the lottery if you spent all of your money on lottery tickets. It seems like you come across the word maximize most often in dry, boring contexts like businesses trying to "maximize" their profits or a politician wanting to "maximize" her government's potential. Regular people probably use it more often when they're talking about their computers, to mean "display a window at its largest size." When you maximize a window on your computer, you can actually see what the word means!
Vocabulary lists containing maximize
Scrabble: High Scoring Words
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20 Common Words That Will Boost Your Scrabble Score
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Workshop 2, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Some folks want to delay claiming Social Security until they are 67 or even 70 in order maximize their monthly benefits and reduce reliance on investment withdrawals later in life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
When today’s starters exit a game, they are simply replaced by a bullpen arm who comes in and does the same thing: maximize effort for velocity and spin on every pitch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
At the very minimum, set your contribution rate to at least maximize any match your employer offers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Iran seems to have improved its missile attacks, likely by studying previous launches and figuring out how to maximize the possibility the weapons will get through, Hinz said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Economic man,” that great abstraction of economic science, is supposed to do whatever it takes, within certain limits, to maximize his economic advantage.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
So employees must choose a contribution that makes sense for their budget and that, to the extent possible, maximizes the match.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
As the lines between podcasts, video and traditional talk shows have blurred, and every hot take gets clipped and spread across the internet, Charlamagne’s approach maximizes the current moment in media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Banana Ball is fast-paced, hilarious and maximizes fan engagement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
This approach maximizes bandwidth efficiency and adapts to changes in signal quality.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2026
Intensive agriculture is much more productive but maximizes the land’s exposure.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
In this case, HP also raised prices, maximized the value of the inventory it already had, and tried to push demand to higher-margin products.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
For example, Lilly executives thought they had maximized production of tirzepatide, the main ingredient in its top-selling weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, to meet the explosive demand that led to widespread shortages early on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Hopkinson told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit last month that Newcastle had not "maximized the opportunity before it".
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
The restaurant’s ambitious, maximized layering of mouth-watering ingredients has been hailed by L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
He is even not unwilling it shall pass if only the disaster to the country is maximized by Adult Suffrage.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 21 The Recent Days (1910-1914) by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
“If you have access to a health savings account, consider maximizing those contributions as well,” said Taylor, “as they can provide tax benefits today and in retirement.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
“We’re coming up with new ways on how to improve and maximizing potential,” Anderson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Instead of attempting full reusability from the beginning, the design focuses on partial reuse while maximizing efficiency.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
Their focus would be on the role of nutrition—as well as exercise, sleep and other interventions—in maximizing a person’s “healthspan,” or the period of life spent in good health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Sugar in zero-g will float and the grains will separate, maximizing surface area.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
