max, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

max v.

1. to drink.

1865

Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 19/2: Betty, who had been ‘maxing’ some before she entered the theatre, saw through the dodge.

2. to treat to a drink.

1865

Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 76/2: Wattie [...] immediately presented us as friends of his, and volunteered to ‘max’ the company.

3. (US campus) to achieve a maximum score or grade in an examination.

1871		O.E. Wood West Point Scrap-Book 339: To max it. — To make a perfect recitation .
1878		H.O. Flipper Colored Cadet at West Point 53: ‘Maxed.’ — Made a thorough recitation.
1937		K. Banning West Point Today 296: Max, v. To make a 3.0 in recitation; to do a thing perfectly [DA].
1968		Current Sl. II:3 4: Max, v. To do well, to achieve perfection.
1975		G. Underwood ‘Razorback Sl.’ in AS L:1/2 54: max ‘do well’.

4. (US Und.) to serve the full length of a jail sentence.

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 108: Max a Number Refers to an inmate who serves his entire prison sentence before being released.

5. (US) to give one’s maximum effort.

1979		Pepper & Pepper Straight Life 143: These guys were shipped out to max at the farm.
1992		N. Stephenson Snow Crash (1993) 72: ‘’Sup with you?’ ‘Maxing The Clink.’ ‘Whoa! Who popped you?’.
1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 65: He liked to pyramid the sets, really max it out so the veins popped in his biceps like fat pink wire.
2000		W. Shaw Westsiders 243: I’m in this bitch. Whoop whoop whoop. I’m maxing.

6. (US) to reach or exceed the limit.

1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 144: Coldly, Ty considered if he’d even live that much longer, especially the way Deek was maxing things lately.
2003		Simon & Alvarez ‘Backwash’ Wire ser. 2 ep. 7 [TV script] ‘You got a credit card?’ ‘You?’ It’s maxed to the max, man°.
2015		‘Harry Brandt’ Whites 3: [He] jad thirty-two years on the Job, owned two bars in Queens, and was just there to max out his pension.

7. (US black/campus) to have a very good time, to relax.

1987		Kid ’N’ Play ‘Last Night’ 🎵 At the house we just maxed / The girls came out ready to attack.
1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 116: They were giggling and maxing the way kids do in restaurants because they know their parents won’t yell at them.
1997–2001		Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 max v 1. to relax; HANG OUT. (‘I’m just maxing.’).
1998		Big L ‘Ebonics’ 🎵 Max mean to relax.
2000		Hip-Hop Connection Jan.–Feb. 55: Max [...] a verb meaning to chill out and enjoy.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 156: We Words (My Favorite Things) [...] Baggin. Maxin. Mashin. Wildin.

8. (US Und., also max out) to give the highest possible sentence for a cited crime.

1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 141: They’re going to max you on the Four Eightyseven GTA.
1997		L. Pettiway Workin’ It 74: The parole board told me ‘You have a bad prison record. We’re going to max you out.’ So I had another eleven and a half, you know.
2006		Prison Slang Mommyblogger mydogharriet.blogspot.com 26 Sept. 🌐 If she makes jackrabbit parole [...] explain that she needs to max out in the big house until you tell her shes done with her flat time.

maxed (adj.)

1. drunk or highly intoxicated.

1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 12/1: He was pretty well ‘maxed,’ and ordered half a dozen bottles of wine for the company.
1986		Chapman NDAS 274/2: maxed adj. narcotics Intoxicated with a narcotic.

2. (US) full to maximum capacity.

1971

Army Reporter Feb. in Maledicta VI:1+2 252: ‘Your ears are maxed to the onions,’ comments the Hood.

max and relax (v.)

(US black/campus) to take life easy, to enjoy oneself; esp. in phr. maxin’ and relaxin’.

1992		D. Burke Street Talk 2 37: I was just maxin’ and relaxin’ here.
1999		Eble Campus Sl. Nov.

maxed out (adj.)

1. very drunk or highly intoxicated.

1982

P. Dickson ‘Soused Synonyms’ in Words! 251/1: Maxed out.

2. at one’s limits, e.g. of strength or weight or credit.

1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 66: He’d never be that maxed out again, but he’d sworn off the ’roids ever since.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 24: ‘Your credit card won’t swipe, Sir,’ [...] because the thing is maxed to the focking gills.
2010		C. Hiaasen Star islande (2011) 2: He was thinking of his girlfriend on a rampage with his maxed-out credit card .

max out (v.)

1. (US prison) to complete one’s sentence without gaining any remission for good behaviour.

1973		K. Burkhart Women in Prison 63I : [...] violated my CR and was sent to Alderson, to max it out.
1985		N. Pileggi Wiseguy (2001) 140: They [...] were such bad parole risks that they knew they’d max out no matter how hard they worked.
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 108: Max Out [...] Refers to an inmate who serves his entire prison sentence before being released.
1997		L. Pettiway Workin’ It 122: She maxed out at Irwin. She was in Irwin for robbing something.
2000		(con. 1940s–60s) Décharné Straight from the Fridge Dad.
2017		T. Pluck Bad Boy Boogie [ebook] ‘I maxed out, if you recall. No parole, no probation’.
2021		T. Pluck Boy from County Hell 115: [F]ive more years before he could max out of Angola.

2. of an object or person, to reach its limit; esp. used of a credit card.

1978		in L.A. Times 30 May I 1: We were just maxed out [...] Just scrambling to keep up [HDAS].
1984		D. Jenkins Life Its Ownself (1985) 118: Look here [...] We can max out at Oklahoma at thirty thou a year. At Texas, we can max out at twenty-five a year.
1987		Ice-T ‘Rhyme Pays’ 🎵 As my bass is max’n out the v.u.s on your box / There’ll be no doubt within your mind whether this MC do rock.
1997		C. Hiaasen Lucky You 71: My Visa maxes out at three thousand bucks.
2003		A.N. LeBlanc Random Family 348: Their credit cards were maxed out by all the charges for the medical supplies.

3. (US) to succeed.

1986

oral testimony in Lighter HDAS II.

4. to relax.

1988		Ice-T ‘Soul on Ice’ 🎵 I spied my man Jaz, maxin’ out with two stone-cold freaks.
1992		D. Burke Street Talk 2.

5. see sense 8 above .