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
As has been reported for months and was confirmed by the WGA’s pattern of demands last week, addressing funding deficits in the unions’ health and pension plans will be the top priority this cycle.
—
Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
The red metal is projected to face a 10 million metric ton supply deficit by 2040, while demand is expected to surge to 42 million metric tons, up 50% from current levels, according to a January study by S & P Global .
—Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
District officials, however, say the system faces a structural deficit driven by declining revenue, enrollment trends and the expiration of one-time pandemic-era funding.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Another clash is over taxation in several forms, arising from the state’s chronic budget deficits, financial squeezes in local governments and reductions in federal aid.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Katie Campione, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
The red metal is projected to face a 10 million metric ton supply deficit by 2040, while demand is expected to surge to 42 million metric tons, up 50% from current levels, according to a January study by S & P Global .
—Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2026
District officials, however, say the system faces a structural deficit driven by declining revenue, enrollment trends and the expiration of one-time pandemic-era funding.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026
Another clash is over taxation in several forms, arising from the state’s chronic budget deficits, financial squeezes in local governments and reductions in federal aid.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficit
Noun
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Progress in robotics Agility’s humanoid robot, Digit, has already entered the market, demonstrating its readiness to tackle the labor shortage in factories and warehouses.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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Fuel prices in Asia have surged in recent days as processors reduce activity rates due to a shortage of crude, while state-of-the-art refineries in the Middle East cut production as storage runs out.—
Nicholas Lua,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Its only post office is in danger of closing due to lack of funding, and fliers are posted up on lamp posts asking for financial support from the community.—
Xuan Juliana Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Lakewood police were heavily criticized for their handling of the investigation into Gratton’s death, including for using her deadname and for an overall lack of transparency about the investigation.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The title refers to canines that are awaiting deployment, undergoing medical evaluation, being reviewed for deficiencies or leaving the service.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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Many weed problems begin because lawn grasses are stressed due to nutrient deficiencies.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deficit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficit. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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