margin

American  

[mahr-jin] / ˈmɑr dʒɪn /

noun

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

Related Words

See edge.

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

The margin grew to 17 before the Sparks closed the quarter with a 13-8 run.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

NRW said similar margin requirements were in place across other parts of the SSSI, where they were being maintained without issues.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

But it has left little margin for error in the months ahead.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

With an attractive gross margin but a very high trailing price-to-sales figure, how might Cerebras compare with other large semiconductor manufacturers?

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

“Yes, but the difference of size isn’t large enough to bank on, not with a margin of error potentially this wide. Now, if you were fifty pounds heavier, maybe...”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• edge
• limit
• surplus