margin for error
11
3.7
- noun
:
margen de maniobra
- The engineer explained that building the bridge required a significant margin for error to ensure safety during construction.
- little margin for error
- small margin for error
- slim margin for error
So there's very little margin for error in that airplane.
- So there's very little margin for error in that airplane.
- And then as you move up the mountain, it begins to get more and more serious because the, the, the margin for error is very, very small.
- Healthy relationships are flexible, open, dynamic, commutative, and have margin for error.
- You know, this, the idea that everything in life is this relentless competition with no, no margin for error.
- No, the the reality of how low the margin for error is is like the ultimate recipe or sort of shortcut to humility.
Examples
-
Technically, he was still two points back, but with the pollster's margin for error, the campaign was neck and neck.
Fiction book (1999) -
In geriatric care, the likelihood of complexity is high, and the margin for error is narrow.
Academic text (2009) -
Because in either game life or football, the margin for error is so small.
-
There is no margin for error in that, sir.
-
We have a margin for error here.
-
The margin for error is narrow here.
-
There's little margin for error.
-
Danes get a lot back for their taxes, but there is not much margin for error.
Academic text (2008) -
Homeowners have more margin for error, so their thresholds are higher.
Academic text (1996) -
It's not a massively challenging road, but the margin for error is minimal.
Blog text (32)
Synonyms
226
3.9
An extra amount left for safety or small mistakes
27
4.2
An amount that shows how much a number or result may be wrong
1
4.5
An extra amount beyond the minimum to keep something safe
1
3.7
An extra amount people keep to allow for errors and prevent harm
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'margin' (an allowance or leeway) with the prepositional phrase 'for error' (for mistakes). This standard noun + prepositional construction that denotes an allowance for mistakes is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Margin for error comes from the picture of a margin — an empty space at the edge of a page or plan — and a small error fitting into that space. If there is a margin, a little mistake can fit and will not cause big problems, so the phrase means 'an amount that allows for slight mistakes without causing failure'.