margin

UK/ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪn//ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/

margin noun: the edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc.

Noun

margin (plural margins)

The edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc.
The edge or border of any flat surface.
- Nothing could be more business-like than the construction of the stout dams, and nothing more gently rural than the limpid lakes, with the grand old forest trees marshalled round their margins like a veteran army that had marched down to drink, only to be stricken motionless at the water’s edge.1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad
- The lobule margins, furthermore, are arched away from the lobe, with the consequence that (when fully inflated) the abaxial leaf surface forms the interior lining of the lobule.1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 7
(figuratively) The edge defining inclusion in or exclusion from a set or group.
- As far as space is concerned, Mary Lamb finds herself at the farthest margin of society - among tramps - when the novel begins.1999, Pierre François, Inlets of the Soul: Contemporary Fiction in English and the Myth of the Fall, page 186
A difference or ratio between results, characteristics, scores.
- margin of victory
- Chelsea will point to that victory margin as confirmation of their superiority - but Spurs will complain their hopes of turning the game around were damaged fatally by Atkinson's decision.2012 April 15, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC
A permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits.
- margin of error
The yield or profit; the selling price minus the cost of production.
Collateral security deposited with a broker, to compensate the broker in the event of loss in the speculative buying and selling of stocks, commodities, etc.
- The purchaser then hands over this margin to the person with whom he hypothecates the Stock.1848, William Armstrong, Stocks and Stock-Jobbing in Wall-Street
- If you borrow from your broker via trading on margin, you need to add monthly margin interest charges to your trading costs as well.2017, Joe Duarte, Trading Options For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 140
That which is ancillary; periphery.
- This model merely nips at the margins.
The shape of the edge of a leaf.
- Red Whortleberry leaves have a crenate margin.1878, George Sampson V. Wills, A manual of vegetable materia medica - Issue 359, page 67

Verb

margin (third-person singular simple present margins, present participle margining, simple past and past participle margined)

(transitive) To add a margin to; to furnish with a margin.
- The scale-like feathers of the breast are margined with rich metallic blue-green, which colour entirely covers the throat and sides of the neck, as well as the long pointed plumes which spring from the sides of the breast, and extend nearly as far as the end of the wings.1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 410
(transitive) To enter (notes etc.) into the margin.
(transitive) To trade (securities etc.) on margin (collateral).
- This sounds easy, but bear in mind that margined portfolios decline faster than cash portfolios in a bear market.2011, Richard Lehman, Lawrence G. McMillan, Options for Volatile Markets, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 90

margin meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

margin in Hindi

margin: तीर tīr

margin in Tamil

ஓரம், கரை

margin in Marathi

मार्जिन

margin in Urdu

margin: تیر tīr, کنارہ kināra

More languagesFewer languages

margin in Bengali: মার্জিন, প্রান্ত, উপান্ত, কিনারা
margin in Telugu: మార్జిన్
margin in Malayalam: ഓരം ōraṁ, സീമ sīma
margin in Kannada: ಓರ, ಕರೆ, ಬದಿ, ಅಂಚು
margin in Punjabi: ਮਾਰਜਿਨ
margin in Gujarati: માર્જિન
margin in Sanskrit: धारा dhārā, पालिका pālikā
margin in Nepali: मार्जिन, मार्जिनिङ
margin in Arabic: هَامِش hāmiš

Examples of margin in a sentence

She added an annotation in the margin to clarify the text.
Pay attention to the teacher's comments in the margin of your marked essay.
He overplanted tobacco in his eagerness for a cash crop with higher margins.

All 40 example sentences with margin

Forms of margin

Noun
plural	margins
Verb
third-person singular present	margins
present participle	margining
past participle	margined
past	margined

Plural of margin: margins

Origin of margin

From Middle English margyn, from Latin marginem (possibly via Old French margin), accusative of margō (“edge, brink, border, margin”). Doublet of marge and margo.

Words formed from margin

Phrases with margin

Words that rhyme with margin

net margin

Questions about margin

What does margin mean?: Margin means the edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc.
What is margin in Hindi?: Margin in Hindi is तीर (tīr). See Margin meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is margin?: Margin can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce margin?: Margin is pronounced /ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪn/ (UK).
What is the plural of margin?: The plural of margin is margins.

Words near margin in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-margin.ogg.

Cite this entry: “margin.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/margin. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.