Dictionary.com selects maxxing as its 2026 Word of the Year

Dictionary.com has selected the internet slang term and suffix maxxing as its 2026 Word of the Year, Euronews reported. The announcement makes the platform the first major entity to reveal its selection for the year. The pick follows the selection of six-seven by the platform last year, Euronews added. [1]

Short for maximizing, the term can be used by itself or attached to the end of any word, according to Euronews citing Dictionary.com. The online dictionary explained that the term conveys doing something to the fullest or optimizing an activity as much as possible. Euronews reported that the origins of the term trace back to the phrase maxing out a credit card, which refers to exceeding an assigned spending limit. [1]

Dictionary.com was founded in May 1995 by Brian Kariger and Daniel Fierro through Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. The digital reference platform was launched alongside companion websites Thesaurus.com and Reference.com. [10]