margin

American  

[mahr-jin] / ˈmɑr dʒɪn /

noun

• margins
  plural

1. the space around the printed or written matter on a page.

2. an amount allowed or available beyond what is actually necessary.

   to allow a margin for error.

3. 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.

   Synonyms:

   bound, confine

4. a border or edge.

   Synonyms:

   brink, verge, rim

   Antonyms:

   center

5. Philately. selvage.

6. Finance.

   1. security, as a percentage in money, deposited with a broker by a client as a provision against loss on transactions.

   2. the amount representing the customer's investment or equity in such an account.

7. the difference between the amount of a loan and the market value of the collateral pledged as security for it.

8. Commerce. the difference between the cost and the selling price.

9. an amount or degree of difference.

   The measure passed by a margin of just three votes.

10. Economics. the point at which the return from economic activity barely covers the cost of production, and below which production is unprofitable.

11. Entomology. the border of an insect's wing.

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verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a margin or border.

2. to furnish with marginal notes, as a document.

3. to enter in the margin, as of a book.

4. Finance. to deposit a margin upon.

5. Stock Exchange. to purchase (securities) on margin.

   That stock was heavily margined during the last month.

margin British  

/ ˈmɑːdʒɪn /

noun

1. an edge or rim, and the area immediately adjacent to it; border

2. the blank space surrounding the text on a page

3. a vertical line on a page, esp one on the left-hand side, delineating this space

4. an additional amount or one beyond the minimum necessary

   a margin of error

5. a payment made in addition to a basic wage, esp for special skill or responsibility

6. a bound or limit

7. the amount by which one thing differs from another

   a large margin separated the parties

8. commerce the profit on a transaction

9. economics the minimum return below which an enterprise becomes unprofitable

10. finance

    1. collateral deposited by a client with a broker as security

    2. the excess of the value of a loan's collateral over the value of the loan

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verb

1. to provide with a margin; border

2. finance to deposit a margin upon

Synonym Usage

See edge.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• margins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of margin

1300–50; Middle English < Latin margin- (stem of margō ) border; akin to march ²

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

margin margins

NatWest NWG -3.75%decrease; red down pointing triangle Group reported higher third-quarter pretax profit, helped by increased income following the acquisition of Evelyn Partners and deposit margin expansion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

This marked an expansion from the 84.6% adjusted operating margin recorded in the June quarter.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

TotalEnergies benefited from "a high-price environment characterised by historic refining margin levels and a bull gas market", Pouyanne said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

The poll of 2,787 registered California voters was conducted online in English and Spanish Oct. 19-25 and has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points in either direction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

I just want to cut off that margin of time before class begins, where Martin might try to talk to me.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

The prices of most major cryptocurrencies fell on the news, except for the stablecoins, which by definition can only fluctuate within tight margins.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Under her leadership, BP is accelerating efforts to cut net debt, aided by elevated oil and gas prices, as well as exceptional refining margins that have provided a cash windfall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

"Callan has just missed that threshold by the tiniest of margins, he has fallen between two stools time and again, leaving him to linger in a wasteland," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

In an already tenuous industry marked by razor-thin margins, high rents and increasing costs for goods and labor, some of the Southland’s favorite beach bars and restaurants are dumping out buckets of water this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

To his annoyance he saw that the previous owner had scribbled all over the pages, so that the margins were as black as the printed portions.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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Related Words

• edge
• limit
• surplus

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