deficit

noun

def·​i·​cit ˈde-fə-sət 

 British also  di-ˈfi-sət,

 or  ˈdē-fə-sət

1

a(1)

: deficiency in amount or quality

a deficit in rainfall

(2)

: a lack or impairment in an ability or functional capacity

cognitive deficits

a hearing deficit

b

: disadvantage

scored two runs to overcome a 2–1 deficit

2

a

: an excess of expenditure over revenue

facing a deficit of $3 billion

raise taxes to help reduce the budget deficit

b

: a loss (see loss sense 4b) in business operations

the year's operating deficit

Synonyms

• shortage
• lack
• deficiency

Examples of deficit in a Sentence

The government is facing a deficit of $3 billion.

We will reduce the federal budget deficit.

The team overcame a four-point deficit to win the game.

She has a slight hearing deficit in her left ear.

Recent Examples on the Web

Saudi Arabia has posted a budget deficit every year of the past decade, except 2022 when oil prices spiked to more than $100 a barrel. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2025

As fate would have it, the Padres came back from a 3-2 deficit with four runs in the inning for what turned out to be a 6-3 final. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025

The two title wins do not lay bare the deficit between the top two and their contenders, but the tennis rankings do. —Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

But for the millions of people bearing the brunt of housing deficits and the global housing mismatch, this sounds like a promising approach to partially tackling these issues. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French déficit, going back to Middle French, "item lacking in an inventory," borrowed from Latin dēficit "it is lacking," 3rd person singular present indicative of dēficere "to be lacking, run short, fail" — more at deficient

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing deficit

• attention deficit disorder
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• deficit spending
• trade deficit

Kids Definition

deficit

noun

def·​i·​cit ˈdef-ə-sət 

: a deficiency in amount

especially : an excess of expenses over income

Medical Definition

deficit

noun

de·​fi·​cit

ˈdef-(ə-)sət; British also di-ˈfis-ət, ˈdē-fə-sət

: a deficiency of a substance

a potassium deficit

also : a lack or impairment of a functional capacity

cognitive deficits