margin
Americannoun
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margins
plural
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the space around the printed or written matter on a page.
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an amount allowed or available beyond what is actually necessary.
to allow a margin for error.
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a limit in condition, capacity, etc., beyond or below which something ceases to exist, be desirable, or be possible.
the margin of endurance; the margin of sanity.
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a border or edge.
- Antonyms:
- center
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Philately. selvage.
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Finance.
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security, as a percentage in money, deposited with a broker by a client as a provision against loss on transactions.
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the amount representing the customer's investment or equity in such an account.
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the difference between the amount of a loan and the market value of the collateral pledged as security for it.
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Commerce. the difference between the cost and the selling price.
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an amount or degree of difference.
The measure passed by a margin of just three votes.
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Economics. the point at which the return from economic activity barely covers the cost of production, and below which production is unprofitable.
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Entomology. the border of an insect's wing.
verb (used with object)
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to provide with a margin or border.
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to furnish with marginal notes, as a document.
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to enter in the margin, as of a book.
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Finance. to deposit a margin upon.
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Stock Exchange. to purchase (securities) on margin.
That stock was heavily margined during the last month.
noun
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an edge or rim, and the area immediately adjacent to it; border
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the blank space surrounding the text on a page
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a vertical line on a page, esp one on the left-hand side, delineating this space
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an additional amount or one beyond the minimum necessary
a margin of error
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a payment made in addition to a basic wage, esp for special skill or responsibility
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a bound or limit
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the amount by which one thing differs from another
a large margin separated the parties
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commerce the profit on a transaction
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economics the minimum return below which an enterprise becomes unprofitable
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finance
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collateral deposited by a client with a broker as security
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the excess of the value of a loan's collateral over the value of the loan
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verb
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to provide with a margin; border
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finance to deposit a margin upon
Synonym Usage
See edge.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of margin
1300–50; Middle English < Latin margin- (stem of margō ) border; akin to march 2
Explanation
An amount beyond the minimum necessary is called the margin. If you sell craft items, you need to build in a profit margin so that you actually make money on the sale. You'll go broke if you sell mittens for $10 that cost you $15 to make. The blank space around the edges of a sheet of paper — as with the page of a book — that surrounds the text is called the margin. It serves a few purposes: (1) The paper can be bound into a book without covering up the words; (2) If you are a teacher, student, or editor, you can make comments or notes in the margin. (3) If you're bored in class, you can doodle there.
Vocabulary lists containing margin
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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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.
See Examples For:
The 13th try - scored by Lewis who broke through two weak tackles - ensured England surpassed Samoa's 74-point winning margin against the French.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Thales said it is targeting revenue growth at the upper end of its 6–7 percent forecast range for 2026, with an operating margin of between 12.6 percent and 12.8 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Separately, the company said it has raised its full-year revenue, margin and free cash flow guidance “following the continued strength of our business in Q3.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Nvidia also reported a 75% gross margin, demonstrating substantial profitability at its current scale.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Doug and Teddy won by a small margin.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
Start-ups, she told the Sunday Times, external, were being treated as a "sideshow" and should not be pushed to the "margins of economic policy".
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Profit margins — how much a company earns per every $100 in sales — have reached historic highs in the past few years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
On Friday, Italian major Eni kicked off earnings season for the energy majors with an extraordinary dividend and buyback hike after volume growth, higher prices and exceptional refining margins provided a cash windfall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Apropos for a story about people on the margins, his settings are liminal: a highway shoulder, a charred underpass, a real-life fast food drive-through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
It’s hard for me to really understand most of the poems inside, but Gram has made little notes in the margins.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
