deficit

American  

[def-uh-sit, dih-fis-it] / ˈdɛf ə sɪt, dɪˈfɪs ɪt /

noun

• deficits
  plural

1. the amount by which a sum of money falls short of the required amount.

2. the amount by which expenditures or liabilities exceed income or assets.

3. a lack or shortage; deficiency.

4. a disadvantage, impairment, or handicap.

   The team's major deficit is its poor pitching.

5. a loss, as in the operation of a business.

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deficit British  

/ ˈdɛfɪsɪt, dɪˈfɪsɪt /

noun

1. the amount by which an actual sum is lower than that expected or required

2. 1. an excess of liabilities over assets

   2. an excess of expenditures over revenues during a certain period

   3. an excess of payments over receipts on the balance of payments

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deficit Cultural  

1. A shortage, especially the amount by which a sum of money falls short of what is required; a debt.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superdeficit
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deficits
  plural

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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”; see deficient

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Explanation

If you're running a deficit, you are losing. You might be losing money or losing a game. Either way, you better make up for it. When the government runs on a deficit, often the loss can be offset by a raise in taxes. If you have a deficit of iron in your body, you should consider eating more spinach. The word deficit comes from the Latin deficit meaning "it is wanting." A deficit is characterized by the wanting of something missing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deficit deficits

Indeed, the gap between them and the rest was bigger than ever, with the smallest deficit between seventh and sixth place during those three seasons being eight points.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The deficit will likely be similar for the next year, said Nancy Vanden Houten of Oxford Economics.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

“The decline compared with the same month of previous year was driven mainly by machinery and vehicles,” Eurostat said, adding that the energy deficit also widened.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The U.S. federal government’s annual budget deficit reached almost $2 trillion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the Treasury Department said Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

For her, like Dr. Gazzaley, the applications are potentially widespread—someday we may be able to treat attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, and attention-related memory loss without drugs, which can have side effects.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

We all know inflation is too high, the Fed has a difficult job and fiscal deficits aren’t disappearing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

“One should consider that France has been able to reduce its deficits quite significantly before,” Moulin said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

“Inflation is too high, leading central banks to raise short-term rates, while budget deficits and debt are unsustainably high, leading bond investors to push up longer-term rates,” said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist at the MBA.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Rising fiscal deficits could make it harder for governments to meet their financial obligations and handle risks of the future.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

I began thinking about what would happen if we all just acknowledged our brokenness, if we owned up to our weaknesses, our deficits, our biases, our fears.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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Related Words

• loss
• shortfall

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