- 1the empty space at the side of a written or printed page the left-hand/right-hand margin a narrow/wide margin notes scribbled in the margin
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- 2[usually singular] the amount of time, or number of votes, etc. by which someone wins something He won by a narrow margin. She beat the other runners by a margin of ten seconds. Members of the organization voted by a margin of 7–1 to adopt the new bylaws.
- 3(business) = profit margin What are your average operating margins? a gross margin of 45%
- 4[usually singular] an extra amount of something such as time, space, money, etc. that you include in order to make sure that something is successful a safety margin The narrow passageway left me little margin for error as I reversed the car. see margin of error
- 5(formal) the extreme edge or limit of a place the eastern margin of the Indian Ocean
- 6[usually plural] the part that is not included in the main part of a group or situation synonym fringe people living on the margins of society
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