trade deficit
noun
finance
: a situation in which a country buys more from other countries than it sells to other countries : the amount of money by which a country's imports are greater than its exports
Examples of trade deficit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This claim involves more cherry-picking, reflecting the percentage drop from a very high trade deficit in January 2025, when the president took office, to a super-low deficit in October.
—
Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
India runs a trade deficit in goods that its net trade surplus in services and remittances cannot fully cover.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
When a country runs a trade deficit, it must be funded.
—Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Even measures of the economy that consumers rarely encounter face to face, like the trade deficit and business sector productivity, are also strong.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade deficit
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
India runs a trade deficit in goods that its net trade surplus in services and remittances cannot fully cover.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
When a country runs a trade deficit, it must be funded.
—Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Even measures of the economy that consumers rarely encounter face to face, like the trade deficit and business sector productivity, are also strong.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trade deficit
Cite this Entry
“Trade deficit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20deficit. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
