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Glite Dictionary
to max out

to max out

27 4.9
Reach the highest level or amount
  • phrasal verb
  • /mæks aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : alcanzar el máximo
  • Or when you max out all your credit cards?
  • cards maxed out
  • maxed out credit
  • maxed out your 401(k

And now I, two years later, have maxed out on LinkedIn.

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Examples

  • Sure, a family could afford to max out its one credit card... maybe.

    Blog text (3)

  • I just maxed out my credit cards buying you Chunky Monkey.

    The Chateau Meroux (2011)

  • Should I just Max out the company match to essentially double my money?

  • Our advice is to keep contributing more and more until you max out retirement contributions.

    Blog text (14)

  • At the beginning of an athlete's career, most are trying to max out their earning potential.

    Blog text (11)

  • And all my credit cards were maxed out.

    Gracie (2015)

  • Kay had maxed out her credit cards and was falling behind in her mortgage payments.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • After repaying debt and maxing out retirement, what should my next big goal be?

  • Streets are crowded, the malls are jammed, people max out their credit cards...

    The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

  • By the end of the year, I had maxed out my savings account to reach the limit.

Synonyms

to maximize
vsto max out
133 4.1

To make something as large or useful as possible

is about arriving at the existing capacity or limit rather than increasing it
to max
vsto max out
  • Informal
46 5.6

To reach the highest possible level or amount

is about reaching the maximum capacity or limit
to top out
vsto max out
  • Informal
7 5.4

To reach the highest level or amount

is focused on reaching a hard capacity limit rather than just high level
to push to the limit
vsto max out
7 5.1

Make a person or thing work as hard as possible until they cannot keep going

is about hitting the capacity limit rather than testing stamina or resilience
to push it to the limit
vsto max out
  • Informal
1 7.2

Use all your energy and take big risks to test your skill

is focused on reaching a capacity limit rather than risky personal effort
maximizing
vsto max out
4.2

To make something as big or useful as possible

is about arriving at the endpoint limit rather than the ongoing process
to crank up to eleven
vsto max out
  • Slang
8.6

To increase something to its highest or most extreme level

is about reaching the actual capacity or limit, not only dramatic increase

Antonyms

to underutilize
  • US
6 4.9

To use something less than its full ability

How Full

to max out
  • Informal
27 4.9
to fill up
46 1.1
to fill
∞ 1.0
to empty
179 1.0

Surface Forms

max out infinitive
maxed out past
maxed out past participle
maxing out present participle
maxes out third person singular

Morphology

max + out

The meaning 'to reach the maximum limit' is directly derivable from 'max' (to reach the greatest possible amount) combined with the particle 'out' which commonly marks completion or reaching an extreme in verb+particle constructions. This is a productive, compositional pattern in English (and mirrored in many languages with equivalent constructions), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase max out may come from old meters and dials. When a meter's needle reached the highest mark — the max — it hit the outside end, the out, and could go no further. So, to 'max out' now means to reach the maximum limit or capacity.