maximize

[mak-suh-mahyz]

See more synonyms for maximize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), max·i·mized, max·i·miz·ing.

to increase to the greatest possible amount or degree: to look for ways of maximizing profit.
to represent at the highest possible estimate; magnify: He maximized his importance in the program, minimizing the contributions of the other participants.
to make the greatest or fullest use of: Maximize your time by planning ahead.

Also especially British, max·i·mise.

Origin of maximize

First recorded in 1795–1805; maxim(um) + -ize

Related formsmax·i·mi·za·tion, max·i·ma·tion, nounmax·i·miz·er, noun

Can be confusedmaximize optimize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for maximize

widen, magnify, augment, bloat, escalate, exaggerate, enlarge, pad, boost, expand, overestimate, maximize, overdo, overstate, overuse, overemphasize, distend, pyramid, raise, aerate

Examples from the Web for maximize

Contemporary Examples of maximize

After all, as one McCain aide told The Daily Beast, it is necessary “in order to fully operate the mine and maximize job growth.”
McCain Helps a Business Partner of Iran
Ben Jacobs
November 13, 2014
The NCF was created, back in 1982 or so, to maximize hard right-wing evangelical Christian philanthropic giving.
The $1-Billion-a-Year Right-Wing Conspiracy You Haven’t Heard Of
Jay Michaelson
September 25, 2014
In that case, the best plan is to maximize the white vote and to avoid naturalizing immigrants.
Even Conservative Evangelical Support Couldn’t Save Immigration Reform
Jacob Lupfer
July 6, 2014
The press was very liberal, back in those days, “so they find every little thing that is wrong and try to maximize it,” he said.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?
David Freedlander
June 22, 2014
I maximize time in hardened buildings and only return to my thin-walled quarters for sleep.
Dodging Rockets in Afghanistan as the Taliban’s Fighting Season Begins
Nick Willard
May 14, 2014

Historical Examples of maximize

It is not enough to maximize wealth; we must strive to maximize utilities.
The Popular Science Monthly, September, 1900
Various
They try to maximize their benefits at any cost, as long as it is a cost to others.
After the Rain
Sam Vaknin

British Dictionary definitions for maximize

maximize

maximise

verb

(tr) to make as high or great as possible; increase to a maximum
maths to find the maximum of (a function)

Derived Formsmaximization, maximisation or maximation, nounmaximizer or maximiser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for maximize

1802, formed in English from maximum + -ize; first attested in Bentham, who used it often. Related: Maximized; maximizing.