margin of error
Americannoun
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Statistics. a deviation above or below a given statistic encompassing the range within which the true value is most likely to fall, equal to one-half the span of the confidence interval.
The poll of likely voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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Also margin for error an amount of extra space, time, resources, etc., allowed to account for mistakes, miscalculations, or altered circumstances.
The margin of error in the restaurant business is usually razor thin.
There’s no margin for error with this new deadline, because you’re handing in final papers the day before grades are due.
Etymology
Origin of margin of error
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
The poll surveyed 4,207 registered voters in California from Aug. 3 to 9, online in English and Spanish, and has an estimated margin of error of about 2.5 percentage points in either direction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Source: Fox News poll of 1,003 registered voters conducted July 17-20, 2026; margin of error +/- 3 pct. pts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The group surveyed 1,048 likely voters between July 15 and July 17, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
“The margin of error was already slim, and it’s approaching none.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
“High tide won’t be until dark, so you won’t have much for landmarks, and GPS margin of error might not tell us we’re wrong until we’re dead on some old I-beam.”
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
