margin of safety
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of margin of safety
1885–90, for an earlier sense
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.
Stocks offer very little margin of safety for investors, if any.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
In its report, Fitch said further delay “leaves the project in a precarious position with a limited margin of safety before it could breach the lenders’ longstop of Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"This can alter the physical properties of their tissues and reduce the margin of safety against mechanical failure, making large branches more likely to fail under their own weight, even in calm conditions."
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
The bond market is still pricing in over two interest-rate hikes by the European Central Bank this year, and the U.S. customer now carries a little less margin of safety than in February, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
A chorus of engineers chanted that the thing could not be built, at least not with any margin of safety.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
