Standard Lemma guide

maximize

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmæksəmaɪz/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AE1 K S AH0 M AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make as large as possible.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • I need to maximize performance.
  • Strive to maximize your potential.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To expand (a window) to fill the main display area.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Since I only have one window open, I maximized the window so that the desktop is not visible.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

make as big or large as possible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Maximize your profits!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: maximise

Antonyms: minimize

Broader terms: increase

4

verb

Meaning 4

make the most of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • He maximized his role

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: maximise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: exploit, tap

History

Etymology

From Latin maximus + English -ize.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: maksimeer — to make as large as possible
  • Armenian: առավելագույնի հասցնել (aṙavelaguyni hascʻnel) — to make as large as possible
  • Catalan: maximitzar — to make as large as possible
  • Chinese Mandarin: 最大化 (zuìdàhuà) — to make as large as possible
  • Czech: maximalizovat — to make as large as possible
  • Dutch: maximaliseren — to make as large as possible
  • Finnish: maksimoida — to make as large as possible
  • French: maximiser — to make as large as possible
  • German: maximieren — to make as large as possible
  • Greek: μεγιστοποιώ (megistopoió) — to make as large as possible
  • Hungarian: maximalizál — to make as large as possible
  • Japanese: 最大化する (saidaika suru) — to make as large as possible
  • Korean: 최대화(最大化)하다 (choedaehwahada) — to make as large as possible
  • Māori: whakamōrahi — to make as large as possible
  • Polish: maksymalizować — to make as large as possible
  • Polish: zmaksymalizować — to make as large as possible
  • Portuguese: maximizar — to make as large as possible
  • Russian: увели́чивать максима́льно (uvelíčivatʹ maksimálʹno) — to make as large as possible
  • Slovak: maximalizovať — to make as large as possible
  • Spanish: maximizar — to make as large as possible
  • Spanish: extremar — to make as large as possible
  • Armenian: առավելացնել (aṙavelacʻnel) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Catalan: maximitzar — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 最大化 (zuìdàhuà) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Finnish: suurentaa — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Hungarian: teljes méretűre állít — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Irish: uasmhéadaigh — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Japanese: 最大化する (saidaika suru) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Korean: 최대화(最大化)하다 (choedaehwahada) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Māori: whakamōrahi — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Russian: развора́чивать (razvoráčivatʹ) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Russian: разверну́ть (razvernútʹ) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Russian: максимизи́ровать (maksimizírovatʹ) — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Swedish: maximera — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)
  • Vietnamese: tối đa hóa — to expand (a window) to fill the main display area (computing)