maxim
- 01 C1 Advanced
a short, wise saying that gives advice on how you should act.
a succinct statement of a moral principle or a rule of conduct.
Simple“He lived his life by the maxim that you should treat others as you want to be treated.”
In context“The CEO often quoted the maxim 'fail fast, learn faster' during quarterly meetings to encourage innovation among the staff.”
UsageOften used with the verbs 'follow', 'live by', or 'quote'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a short sentence that expresses a basic truth about life or the world.
a pithy expression of a general principle or self-evident truth.
Simple“It is a common legal maxim that ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
In context“The philosopher's work is built upon the maxim that all knowledge begins with the senses.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
an early type of machine gun used in wars in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
a recoil-operated machine gun, specifically the design patented by Hiram Maxim in 1884.
Simple“The soldiers were trained to maintain the Maxim during the long trench battles.”
In context“The introduction of the Maxim gun fundamentally altered infantry tactics during the late nineteenth-century colonial campaigns.”
UsageUsually capitalized as 'Maxim' when referring to the specific brand or inventor.
Synonymsmachine gun
* (machine guns): After the inventor Sir Hiram Maxim (1840-1916).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.