trade deficit
noun
finance
: a situation in which a country buys more from other countries than it sells to other countries : the amount of money by which a country's imports are greater than its exports
Examples of trade deficit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even measures of the economy that consumers rarely encounter face to face, like the trade deficit and business sector productivity, are also strong.
—
Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
The nation’s trade deficit has hit its lowest level since 2009.
—Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
Since then, the trade deficit has come back down.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The president also introduced the idea of the chronic trade deficit as a national emergency, using the unequal state of trade between America and its peers as justification to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade deficit
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Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
The nation’s trade deficit has hit its lowest level since 2009.
—Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2026
Since then, the trade deficit has come back down.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
The president also introduced the idea of the chronic trade deficit as a national emergency, using the unequal state of trade between America and its peers as justification to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trade deficit
Cite this Entry
“Trade deficit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20deficit. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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