Phrase guide

margin of error

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An expression of the lack of precision in the results obtained from a sample.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An amount, beyond the calculated minimum, added for safety.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the margin required in order to insure safety

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • in engineering the margin of safety is the strength of the material minus the anticipated stress

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: margin of safety, safety margin

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: margin, index

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: marge d'error — expression of the lack of precision
  • Chinese Mandarin: 誤差範圍 /误差范围 (wùchā fànwéi) — expression of the lack of precision
  • Dutch: foutmarge — expression of the lack of precision
  • Finnish: virhemarginaali — expression of the lack of precision
  • French: marge d'erreur — expression of the lack of precision
  • German: Fehlerspielraum — expression of the lack of precision
  • Greek: περιθώριο σφάλματος (perithório sfálmatos) — expression of the lack of precision
  • Icelandic: skekkjumörk — expression of the lack of precision
  • Italian: margine di errore — expression of the lack of precision
  • Māori: pae hapa — expression of the lack of precision
  • Norwegian Bokmål: feilmargin — expression of the lack of precision
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: feilmargin — expression of the lack of precision
  • Polish: margines błędu — expression of the lack of precision
  • Portuguese: margem de erro — expression of the lack of precision
  • Spanish: margen de error — expression of the lack of precision
  • Swedish: felmarginal — expression of the lack of precision