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

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

Morgan Stanley upgraded Wells Fargo to Overweight, betting that easing margin pressure will support stronger earnings and returns.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Scotland is on course to miss legally-binding targets to cut child poverty "by a wide margin", according to a report from a leading social reform charity.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The company’s 3Q operating profit likely fell 5.2% on year to 541 billion won, with the operating profit margin narrowing to 15.5% from 18.2% a year earlier, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

After being unable to capitalize on a plus-four turnover margin in a 24-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, McDaniel knows he has to find ways to fix the Chargers’ offense — and fast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Ptolemy and Copernicus had regarded 10 minutes as precisely the acceptable margin of error.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Air Liquide AI 2.48%increase; green up pointing triangle said it is targeting sales growth and higher margins under a new strategic plan through 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Meanwhile, margins for diesel and other refined products remain high.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Arsenal had performed reasonably well against City, took the lead twice and were ultimately undone by small margins.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Restaurant margins are brutal, and a generated image costs less than a photo shoot.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Starts to pen a message in red ink into the margins by her picture.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

• edge
• limit
• surplus