deficit
Americannoun
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the amount by which a sum of money falls short of the required amount.
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the amount by which expenditures or liabilities exceed income or assets.
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a lack or shortage; deficiency.
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a disadvantage, impairment, or handicap.
The team's major deficit is its poor pitching.
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a loss, as in the operation of a business.
noun
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the amount by which an actual sum is lower than that expected or required
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an excess of liabilities over assets
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an excess of expenditures over revenues during a certain period
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an excess of payments over receipts on the balance of payments
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Other Word Forms
- superdeficit noun
Etymology
Origin of deficit
First recorded in 1775–85; from Latin dēficit “(it) lacks,” 3rd-person singular present of dēficere “to fail, run short, lack, weaken”; deficient
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ruling raised new questions about the size of U.S. fiscal deficits.
From MarketWatch
But his reign also had highs: responding effectively to the 1987 stock market crash, encouraging President Bill Clinton to tackle the federal government’s deficit, and spotting a productivity surge in the 1990s before others.
From Barron's
They have been impacted by trade flows and the massive budget deficit.
From Barron's
He also faces the challenge of closing a yawning budget deficit for the coming fiscal year.
Plus, the Treasury would have to issue more debt to cover the tab, which would add to the deficit and put upward pressure on yields.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
