margin

SayMAR-jin/ˈmɑːɹd͡ʒ(ə)n/UK/ˈmɑːd͡ʒɪn/

12 meanings of margin

1
nouncountable
The blank space along the edge of a page, where you can write notes.
Like the empty border around a picture frame.
She scribbled a reminder in the margin of her textbook.
Leave a wide margin so the teacher can add comments.
Note
2
nouncountable or uncountable
An extra amount of space, time, or money that gives you room to stay safe.
Like leaving extra space when you park so you don't hit the next car.
Leave a margin of a few minutes in case the train is late.
We built in a safety margin so a small mistake wouldn't ruin the plan.
Similarleeway, room, allowance, buffer, latitude
Note
3
nouncountable
The money a business keeps after taking away what it cost to make something.
Like buying a toy for two dollars and selling it for three: the extra dollar is what you keep.
The store makes a small margin on every sale.
They cut their prices, so the margin got smaller.
Similarprofit
Note
4
nouncountable
The amount by which one score or result is bigger than another.
Like winning a race by just one step ahead of the next runner.
Our team won by a margin of three points.
She passed the test by a small margin.
Similardifference, gap
Note
5
nouncountable
The edge or border around a flat surface.
Like the edge of a plate, where it stops and the table begins.
Grass grew along the margin of the pond.
They walked around the margin of the field.
Similaredge, border, rim, fringe, verge
6
nounfigurativelycountable
The line between belonging to a group and being left out of it.
Like standing at the edge of a playground game, not quite let in.
He grew up on the margin of the community, never quite fitting in.
Some voices stay at the margin and are rarely heard.
Similarfringe, edge, periphery
Oppositecenter
7
nouncountable
The outer, less important part of something, away from the center.
Like the side dishes at a meal: there, but not the main course.
These details sit at the margin of the main story.
His role stayed at the margin of the project.
Similarperiphery, fringe, edge, sidelines
Oppositecenter, core, heart
Note
8
noununcountable
Money or assets you leave with a broker to cover possible losses when trading.
Like leaving a deposit with a shop so they trust you to pay later.
He had to add more margin when his trades lost money.
The broker asked for extra margin to cover the risk.
Similarcollateral, deposit, security
Note
9
nouncountable
The shape of the outer edge of a leaf.
Like the outline of a cookie: some are smooth, some have bumps.
This leaf has a smooth margin with no teeth.
You can tell the tree by the margin of its leaves.
Similaredge
Note
10
verbtransitive
To buy or sell stocks using money borrowed against a deposit.
Like borrowing money to buy more than your own cash allows.
Some investors margin their stocks to buy more than they can afford.
He decided to margin the shares instead of paying full price.
Similarleverage
Note
11
verbtransitive
To write notes into the blank edge of a page.
Like writing little notes in the white space next to the words.
Students often margin their questions beside hard passages.
She margined a few notes next to each paragraph.
Similarannotate, note
12
verbtransitive
To add a blank border or edge to something.
Like drawing a border around a page before you write.
The printer will margin each page before binding.
They margined the document to leave room for notes.
Similarborder, edge, frame

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of margin apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Latin "margo," meaning edge or border, which came into English through Middle English.