A deficit is the amount by which something is less than what is required or expected, especially the amount by which the total money received is less than the total money spent.
They're ready to cut the federal budget deficit for the next fiscal year.
...a deficit of 3.275 billion francs.
See in deficit
deficit in British English
(ˈdɛfɪsɪt, dɪˈfɪsɪt)
noun
1.
the amount by which an actual sum is lower than that expected or required
2.
a.
an excess of liabilities over assets
b.
an excess of expenditures over revenues during a certain period
c.
an excess of payments over receipts on the balance of payments
Word origin
C18: from Latin, literally: there is lacking, from dēficere to be lacking
deficit in American English
(ˈdɛfəsɪt)
noun
the amount by which a sum of money is less than the required amount; specif., anexcess of liabilities over assets, of losses over profits, or of expenditure over income
Word origin
L, there is lacking, 3d pers. sing., pres. indic., of deficere (see deficiency): from use as first word in inventory clauses
deficit in Accounting1
(dɛfəsɪt)
Word forms: (regular plural) deficits
noun
(Accounting: Basic)
A deficit is a situation in which liabilities are greater than assets.
Cash in-flows and out-flows must be balanced against each other, with a surplus placedon the asset side or a deficit on the liability side.
Slashing capital spending and selling off public assets reduce the budget deficit in the short term but do little to correct the underlying fiscal imbalance.
A deficit is a situation in which liabilities are greater than assets.
deficit in Accounting2
(dɛfəsɪt)
Word forms: (regular plural) deficits
noun
(Accounting: Basic)
A deficit is a situation in which expenses are greater than revenues during a particular accounting period.
You are running a deficit if you spend more money than you make.
None of the companies reported a deficit during this prosperous period.
A deficit is a situation in which expenses are greater than revenues during a particular accountingperiod.
COBUILD Collocations
deficit
current account deficit
cut the deficit
eliminate the deficit
fiscal deficit
halve the deficit
Examples of 'deficit' in a sentence
deficit
The visitors stormed back to cut the deficit to two points.
The Sun (2016)
Bonds are sold by governments to fund their budget deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
That is what whittling away a current account deficit really means.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Cut the deficit by a quarter at a stroke.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Britain does have a wide current account deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This Government inherited a record deficit six years ago.
The Sun (2016)
Its budget deficit was nearly $100 billion last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The federal deficit is down by two thirds and wages are up sharply, especially for the poorest 10 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A decade ago, the deficit totalled just 250m.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The two men agree that the deficit must be cut as a priority.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They will live or die together on the basis of their deficit reduction plan.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Public expenditure and the budget deficit would be reduced.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
That fanned fears that decisive action may be less likely to address the yawning budget deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
What matters more is the current account deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The public sector deficit amounts to about a quarter of total public spending.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The effect of the system is to multiply deficits year on year.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
One is the way we now run companies and the other is our balance of payments deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He could launch straight into his budget deficit cut.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is no sustainable route to deficit reduction except by cutting spending.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
That helps explain the mammoth current account deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And emerging balance of payments deficits have proved difficult to sustain.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
By the summer there was the very real prospect of a substantial deficit after three years of surplus.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since1945 (2003)
Experts say it is highly unusual to run such a large external deficit during a period of economic weakness.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The federal deficit must be reduced.
Chancellor, John Peril and Promise: A Commentary on America (1990)
The deficit in total trade remained at 3.8 billion.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The 32% budget deficit is a bit of a statistical artefact.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The structural deficit is the amount of borrowing that's still left.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Meanwhile, he moved to correct the fiscal deficit with cuts and increased taxes.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A huge fiscal deficit resulted in the early 1990s.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Total deficits of such schemes at the end of 2012 were 50 billion.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
deficit
British English: deficit /ˈdɛfɪsɪt; dɪˈfɪsɪt/ NOUN
A deficit is the amount by which something is less than the amount that is needed.
They're ready to cut the budget deficit for the next fiscal year.
American English: deficit
Arabic: عَجْز
Brazilian Portuguese: déficit
Chinese: 逆差
Croatian: gubitak
Czech: deficit
Danish: underskud
Dutch: tekort
European Spanish: déficit
Finnish: vaje
French: déficit
German: Defizit
Greek: έλλειμα
Italian: deficit
Japanese: 欠損
Korean: 부족
Norwegian: underskudd
Polish: deficyt
European Portuguese: défice
Romanian: deficit
Russian: дефицит
Latin American Spanish: déficit
Swedish: underskott
Thai: ปริมาณที่ขาด
Turkish: açık finans
Ukrainian: дефіцит
Vietnamese: sự thâm hụt
All related terms of 'deficit'
in deficit
If an account or organization is in deficit , more money has been spent than has been received .
cash deficit
the excess of cash disbursements over cash receipts in any given fiscal period
trade deficit
the difference between the value of a country's imports and the value of its exports
budget deficit
the amount by which government expenditure exceeds income from taxation , customs duties , etc, in any one fiscal year
deficit target
A target is a result that you are trying to achieve .
fiscal deficit
A deficit is the amount by which something is less than what is required or expected , especially the amount by which the total money received is less than the total money spent .
budgetary deficit
the amount by which government expenditure exceeds income from taxation , customs duties , etc, in any one fiscal year
deficit financing
government spending in excess of revenues so that a budget deficit is incurred , which is financed by borrowing : recommended by Keynesian economists in order to increase economic activity and reduce unemployment
deficit spending
the practice of spending funds in excess of income , esp. by a government
democratic deficit
any situation in which there is believed to be a lack of democratic accountability and control over the decision-making process
government deficit
A government deficit is a situation in which a government spends more money than it has.
cut the deficit
A deficit is the amount by which something is less than what is required or expected , especially the amount by which the total money received is less than the total money spent .
halve the deficit
A deficit is the amount by which something is less than what is required or expected, especially the amount by which the total money received is less than the total money spent.
eliminate the deficit
A deficit is the amount by which something is less than what is required or expected , especially the amount by which the total money received is less than the total money spent .
current account deficit
A deficit is the amount by which something is less than what is required or expected , especially the amount by which the total money received is less than the total money spent .
attention deficit disorder
Attention deficit disorder is a condition where people, especially children, are unable to concentrate on anything for very long and so find it difficult to learn and often behave in inappropriate ways . The abbreviation → ADD is often used.
dollar gap
the difference , measured in US dollars , between a country's receipts or imports from the United States (or dollar area country) and its payments or exports to those countries
balance of payments deficit
a situation in which imports of goods, services , investment income and transfers exceed the exports of goods, services, investment income and transfers.
compensatory finance
government spending in excess of revenues so that a budget deficit is incurred , which is financed by borrowing : recommended by Keynesian economists in order to increase economic activity and reduce unemployment
dew-point spread
the degrees of difference between the air temperature and the dew point
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition where people, especially children , are extremely active and unable to concentrate on anything for very long, with the result that they find it difficult to learn and often behave in inappropriate ways . The abbreviation → ADHD is often used.
add
If you add one thing to another, you put it in or on the other thing, to increase, complete , or improve it.
ADHD
ADHD is an abbreviation for → attention deficit hyperactivity disorder .
Chinese translation of 'deficit'
deficit
(ˈdɛfɪsɪt)
n(c)
赤字 (chìzì)
(noun)
Definition
the amount by which a sum is lower than that expected or required
They're ready to cut the budget deficit for the next fiscal year.
Synonyms
shortfall
The government has refused to make up a shortfall in funding.
shortage
There's no shortage of ideas.
deficiency
They did tests for signs of vitamin deficiency.
loss
The company will cease operating due to continued losses.
default
The other team failed to turn up so we won by default.
arrears
Additional synonyms
in the sense of default
Definition
a failure to do something, esp. to meet a financial obligation or to appear in court
The other team failed to turn up so we won by default.
Synonyms
failure,
want,
lack,
fault,
absence,
neglect,
defect,
deficiency,
lapse,
omission,
dereliction
in the sense of deficiency
Definition
a lack or shortage
They did tests for signs of vitamin deficiency.
Synonyms
lack,
want,
deficit,
absence,
shortage,
deprivation,
inadequacy,
scarcity,
dearth,
privation (formal),
insufficiency,
scantiness
in the sense of loss
Definition
the person, thing, or amount lost
The company will cease operating due to continued losses.