deficitnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈdef.ɪ.sɪt/us/ˈdef.ə.sɪt/C1 the total amount by which money spent is more than money received:
The country is running a balance-of-payments/budget/trade deficit of $250 million.
The UK's deficit in manufactured goods fell slightly in the last three months.
More examples
- There are many priorities, but reducing the budget deficit is paramount/is of paramount importance.
- By late in the first half United were staring at a seven-goal deficit and almost certain defeat.
- The UK trade deficit widened/narrowed last month.
- The government claimed they were doing a good job of reducing the country's trade deficit and balancing the budget.
- The deficit has been rising in recent years because of a drop in earnings from oil, the country's main export.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Profits & losses
- break
- buoyant
- diminishing returns
- gold mine
- gross receipts
- in/out of pocket idiom
- interim
- ka-ching
- licence
- loss
- loss-making
- markup
- pay
- profit sharing
- rig
- rig the market idiom
- speculation
- takings
- turnover
- uneconomic
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