margin

Universal Words noun 1 [C] the 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 2 [C,usually sing.] the amount of time, or number of votes, etc. by which sb wins sth: He won by a narrow margin. * She beat the other runners by a margin of ten seconds. * Members voted by a margin of 71 to become a public limited company. 3 [C] (business) = PROFITMARGIN: What are your average operating margins? * a gross margin of 45% 4 [C,usually sing.] an extra amount of sth such as time, space, money, etc. that you include in order to make sure that sth is successful: a safety margin * The narrow gateway left me little margin for error as I reversed the car. seealsoMARGINOFERROR 5 [C] (formal) the extreme edge or limit of a place: the eastern margin of the Indian Ocean 6 [C,usually pl.] the part that is not included in the main part of a group or situation: people living on the margins of society