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deficit

/ˈdɛfəsɪt/noun3 syllables

Deficit means: the property of being an amount by which something is less than expected or required.

Synonyms for deficit3

noun, as in the property of being an amount by which something is less than expected or required

shortage, shortfall

also used for deficit

fiscal deficit

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of deficit

What does deficit mean?4

noun

1

the property of being an amount by which something is less than expected or required“new blood vessels bud out from the already dilated vascular bed to make up the nutritional deficit”

2

a deficiency or failure in neurological or mental functioning“the people concerned have a deficit in verbal memory”

3

(sports) the score by which a team or individual is losing

4

an excess of liabilities over assets (usually over a certain period)“last year there was a serious budgetary deficit”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Deficit in a sentence

  • If there's a deficit, we'll make it up.anzart
  • Instead of focusing on your deficits, what are your strengths?shekitten
  • How huge a deficit can the nation stand?Tangobango
  • The country is trying hard to make up for her trade deficit.unknown
  • The proceeds from the bond issue will be used to finance the budget deficit.CK
  • Reducing the budget deficit is a major concern of the government.CK
  • A common way to finance a budget deficit is to issue bonds.CK
  • The government is running its largest deficit ever.CM

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of deficit

as a noun

plural
deficits