as in shortages
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 deficits
Both levels are far above EU rules demanding that individual members’ deficits should not exceed 3% of GDP, while their public debt should not surpass 60% of economic output.
—
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
The European Union has a 3% limit on budget deficits for countries that use the euro.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the state Assembly, pointed to the state’s ongoing budget deficits, homelessness crisis and sky-high costs of living in a social media post responding to Newsom’s letter.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The closure comes as local governments across the Bay Area face budget deficits, and some cities, including San Jose, prioritize spending on shelter beds to alleviate homelessness.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Cuts are only likely if Congress does nothing to sure-up the current deficits that exist.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
These include inter-agent misalignment, error propagation, unpredictability of emergent behavior, and explainability deficits.
—Rajeev Ronanki, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
People with schizophrenia can have cognitive deficits such as difficulty creating and following a plan, processing complicated information, or using information to reach appropriate conclusions, Weinberger said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the district may shut down more than a dozen of its 54 schools as enrollment drops (26% in a decade), budget deficits grow and buildings sit underused.
—Chrissy Suttles, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
The European Union has a 3% limit on budget deficits for countries that use the euro.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the state Assembly, pointed to the state’s ongoing budget deficits, homelessness crisis and sky-high costs of living in a social media post responding to Newsom’s letter.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The closure comes as local governments across the Bay Area face budget deficits, and some cities, including San Jose, prioritize spending on shelter beds to alleviate homelessness.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Cuts are only likely if Congress does nothing to sure-up the current deficits that exist.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
These include inter-agent misalignment, error propagation, unpredictability of emergent behavior, and explainability deficits.
—Rajeev Ronanki, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
People with schizophrenia can have cognitive deficits such as difficulty creating and following a plan, processing complicated information, or using information to reach appropriate conclusions, Weinberger said.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the district may shut down more than a dozen of its 54 schools as enrollment drops (26% in a decade), budget deficits grow and buildings sit underused.
—Chrissy Suttles, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficits
Noun
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By last winter, after significant reconstruction, rolling blackouts were rare, and power shortages were mostly localized.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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With rising costs, labor shortages and a push for more sustainable building methods, this kind of breakthrough could shape the future of American neighborhoods.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This absence — of God, of love, of plain community spirit — is a metaphor for the whole parish, where everyone is defined by their own lacks and deficiencies, the weaknesses that cause Wicks to despise them and vow to bring down them all.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
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But Davies’s film has a patience and lightness of touch that Scorsese’s lacks, as well as a note-perfect lead in Gillian Anderson.—
Elle Carroll,
Vulture,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Aside from not having Worthy, the most significant concern for the Chiefs coming out of Brazil was deficiencies in the pass defense, which saw Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert throw for 318 yards and three touchdowns.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
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The 2024 report is based on information from 77,688 containers inspected, where 8,850 were found to have deficiencies.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficits. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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