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
Mahomes answered with a 49-yard touchdown strike to Tyquan Thornton, cutting the deficit to three.
—
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Fueling your body rather than starving it will give you the energy to exercise and stay in a calorie deficit while still feeling good.
—Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 15 Sep. 2025
Drought concerns in the Midwest and Northeast Widespread moderate drought has developed recently in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, where precipitation during August was well below normal (rainfall deficits of 3 to 5 inches).
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Sporting found itself with a two-goal deficit before an RSL own goal gave the visitors a late lifeline.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Fueling your body rather than starving it will give you the energy to exercise and stay in a calorie deficit while still feeling good.
—Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 15 Sep. 2025
Drought concerns in the Midwest and Northeast Widespread moderate drought has developed recently in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, where precipitation during August was well below normal (rainfall deficits of 3 to 5 inches).
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
Sporting found itself with a two-goal deficit before an RSL own goal gave the visitors a late lifeline.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficit
Noun
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But in the Midwest and the Northeast, where the housing shortage remains most acute, prices have kept high.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Developers face rising costs, labor shortages, and supply constraints.—
Maurice Obeid,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The lack of clarity is compounded by the fact that many of Turning Point’s largest vendors are limited liability companies registered in states that do not mandate public ownership disclosure.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
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The company claims that the problem of the lack of waste heat in electric drive systems is elegantly solved by integrating a high-efficiency heat pump.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Maasai had vitamin A and C deficiencies due to meat and dairy exclusivity.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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B vitamins have been reported to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and depression associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.—
Alessandra Signorelli,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficit. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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