as in shortage
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
a growing deficit in the number of hours devoted to sleep
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Recent Examples of deficit
If the Yankees cannot shrug off the 2-0 series deficit, then Boone could be in hot water, especially with the pair of embarrassing losses to the Blue Jays.
—
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
And for France, the road ahead promises more of the political uncertainty that is eroding investor confidence in the European Union’s second-largest economy and is frustrating efforts to rein in France’s damaging state deficit and debts.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
In emails to Daugaard — and, in at least one case, internally — city officials cited uncertainty created by a looming budget deficit as one of the main reasons for the new marching orders.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile much smaller shares pointed to the federal deficit (6%), immigration (5%) and taxes (2%).
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
And for France, the road ahead promises more of the political uncertainty that is eroding investor confidence in the European Union’s second-largest economy and is frustrating efforts to rein in France’s damaging state deficit and debts.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
In emails to Daugaard — and, in at least one case, internally — city officials cited uncertainty created by a looming budget deficit as one of the main reasons for the new marching orders.
—Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile much smaller shares pointed to the federal deficit (6%), immigration (5%) and taxes (2%).
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficit
Noun
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Israel has limited aid to Gaza throughout the conflict, leading to desperate shortages of food and medicine.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
9 Oct. 2025
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The unrest on the island nation, triggered by power cuts and water shortages, has grown to reflect wider public anger over inequality, a cost-of-living crisis, and unemployment.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Some customers complained about the lack of human support, prompting Klarna to rethink part of its AI-first hiring strategy.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
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One commenter offers some perspective, agreeing that the brother-in-law’s hurt about the lack of invitation is understandable, but the issue of the date feels less significant.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Sprinkle in Minerals Don't just toss in minerals at random, says Damrosch—only use when recommended by your soil test to correct deficiencies that have been identified.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Oct. 2025
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For that reason, the vast majority of companies now employ human reviews and stand-alone testing tools or services to address generative AI’s deficiencies.—
Philipp Eisenhauer,
Harvard Business Review,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficit. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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