deficit — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Deficiency in amount or quality; a falling short; lack.

   Examples

   The crop output this year has been comparatively small, owing to the deficit in rainfall.

2. A situation wherein, or amount whereby, spending exceeds (e.g. government) revenue.

   Examples

   More examples (3)

   Dr. Beeching's obvious intent is that if Scottish—and similarly unprofitable English and Welsh—railways are to be maintained, it must be done by an unconcealed subsidy; he is determined that the railways shall no longer be preoccupied with—and derided for—immense deficits which include the burden of social services the State must openly underwrite, if it wants them.

   But Wall Street, which has a case of deficit-attention disorder, is no longer focused on a balanced budget. "The bond market only worries about one thing at [a time.]

   Economically, too, London is startlingly different. The capital, unlike the country as a whole, has no budget deficit: London’s public spending matches the taxes paid in the city. The average Londoner contributes 70 percent more to Britain’s national income than people in the rest of the country.

Noun

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

   Synonyms

   shortageshortfall

   Broader terms

   insufficiencyinadequacydeficiency

   Examples

   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

   Broader terms

   lackdeficiencywant

   Examples

   the people concerned have a deficit in verbal memory

   they have serious linguistic deficits

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

   Antonyms

   lead

   Broader terms

   score

4. an excess of liabilities over assets (usually over a certain period)

   Broader terms

   liabilities

   Examples

   last year there was a serious budgetary deficit