max out
Britishverb
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Exhaust one's options, capacity, or the like by producing or performing to the maximum, as in The weight lifter maxed out at 180 kilograms . [ Slang ; late 1900s]
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Reach a point at which no more growth, improvement, or benefit is possible, as in The salary for this job maxes out at $90,000 . [ Slang ; late 1900s]
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Relax, take things easy, as in Let's go to the beach and max out . [ Slang ; late 1900s]
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.
While the 64-year-old believes Loudoun County will max out its land available for data centers in the coming years, he isn’t getting out of the game.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
Howe had called on Wissa to "max out" before the game, and he led the press effectively against a naive PSV side, who repeatedly played out from the back.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
Traditional SAW devices typically max out at around 4 gigahertz, making the new system far faster.
From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2026
Each year, we max out our Roth IRAs and our HSA, which we invest.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
Other moves: Avoid buying a mutual fund about to make a year-end capital-gains distribution, defer a bonus into 2026, and max out on retirement plan contributions.
From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025
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.