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

George Russell says Formula 1's new circuit in Madrid "has less margin than Monaco" as the sport races there for the first time at the Spanish Grand Prix.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

There is good margin potential, given that the data center’s operating costs, insurance premiums and property taxes will be passed to the customer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

While SoftBank didn’t discuss how it would fund the repayment, Ambiru suspects it may have used margin loans with Arm Holdings shares as collateral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

A referendum on Scottish independence in September 2014 saw the country vote to remain part of the UK by a margin of 55% to 45%.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

He raced tentatively, and with the winds buffeting him through the homestretch, won by a modest margin over his stablemate Exhibit.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

She told employees she expects profit margins in the double digits this fiscal year and to ultimately reach 1 billion people daily between the company’s games, films and other media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Investors may remain focused on IHH’s volume growth, margins, capacity expansion and earnings prospects across core markets, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Diane had a cancerous lump removed from her face at Salisbury District Hospital a few weeks ago, using an innovative procedure, which checks tumour margins are clear while the patient is still in surgery.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

“Tech valuations, for instance, remain range-bound despite a strong rise in earnings and record profit margins, suggesting that multiple expansion may be challenging even as fundamentals improve.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Focused on winning in Tokyo in 1940, he smashed record after record at multiple distances and routinely buried his competition by giant margins, once winning a race by one hundred yards.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• edge
• limit
• surplus