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, ˈmɑːdʒənt /

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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

margin margins

In 1901, speculators trading on margin, or borrowed money, eagerly leveraged their bets 10-fold or more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

"By distributing it digitally through their own network and their own servers, they save a huge amount of margin."

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Secondly, for Goldman, the company’s forecast of gross margin of 72% to 73% in fiscal year 2028 is likely to put investors’ worries over high spending costs at ease.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

“Outlook for FY27 is similarly bullish, with Ebit growth and margin improvement across both Australia and the U.K.,”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

There was a small margin of water now, before the ice began, and the fish were hungry.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

But lower profit margins, the agricultural impact of monsoons and a possible consolidation in public spending could eventually moderate GDP growth, they added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

As a scholar of conspiracy theories and extremism, I’ve watched QAnon seep from the margins into mainstream American politics over the past decade.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

And the constant small margins seem to be taking a toll, as the Dodgers’ bullpen and defense have wavered.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

“The renewed rise in oil and gas prices, persistently elevated refining margins, the gradual withdrawal of government support and unfavorable base effects all point to sustained energy inflation pressures,” they said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

They almost look like pages of a book, with handwritten notes in the margins.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• edge
• limit
• surplus