Converse of object

• squeeze: Firms are seeing profit margins squeezed and they are responding by seeking ways to reduce their cost base.

• erode: Even the highest residues detected in the Working Party's surveillance, of phorate and other OPs, would not erode safety margins.

• operate: The board believes that operating margins will run significantly short of last year's level for much of 2005.

Adjective modifier

• gross: Gross margin is the value of sales less the cost of goods sold.

• continental: The most important are those associated with tidal oscillations along continental margins.

• winning: Ahead of all this, Lindley scored a fine victory, extending his winning margin to almost seven seconds with a classy display.

• narrow: In a tense finish in the gathering gloom it was Cheshire who finally came out on top by the narrow margin of 4 runs.

• left-hand: OK, so I can do all those things in the left-hand margin, but what's special about the way I do them?

• arable: As in arable field margins, the aim is to maintain open conditions free from competition with other plants.

Modifies a noun

• squeeze: On the key issue of the alleged margin squeeze against rivals we found BSkyB to be around the borderline of anti-competitive behavior.

Noun used with modifier

• profit: Their profit margins are likely to come under intense pressure leading to the possible closure of smaller chemists in rural areas.

• operating: Annual CRM cost synergies will drive further medium term growth in British Gas operating margins.

• resection: This showed that resection margins 1cm did not influence survival.

• gingival: Palpate the apex of the root by following the root juga ( lateral canine eminence ) from the gingival margin.

• plateau: The plateaux margins are typically characterized slope failures that range from large rotational landslides to individual blockfalls.

• eyelid: On examination, the eyelid margins are thickened, slightly inflamed and crusty.

Preposition: of

• appreciation: States are allowed 'a margin of appreciation ' in imposing restrictions on trade union rights.

• victory: The margin of victory was harsh but the home side got an ovation at the end from The Walks faithful.

• error: They were also within a 1/2 % point margin of error in their 2000 final poll.

Preposition: for

• error: So if we get Chinese demand wrong and Iraqi supply wrong, we find we have no margin for error left.