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
Grand Canyon narrowed the deficit to 42-28 at halftime thanks to Grant-Foster, who scored 12 of the team’s final 15 points of the first half, including a buzzer-beating 3.
—
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
The long arms of Mitchell at the front of Missouri’s press forced a turnover and Marques Warrick had a 3-pointer in the air that would have trimmed the deficit to one, but the shot missed and the Tigers would never come within a single possession in the final 90 seconds.
—Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2025
Xavier came back from a 13-point deficit in the first half to pull off the win.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
The deficit came despite a $28.8 million increase in revenue from the previous year, highlighting the challenging financial environment even central athletic departments face in today’s collegiate landscape.
—Brian Roberts, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2025
The long arms of Mitchell at the front of Missouri’s press forced a turnover and Marques Warrick had a 3-pointer in the air that would have trimmed the deficit to one, but the shot missed and the Tigers would never come within a single possession in the final 90 seconds.
—Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2025
Xavier came back from a 13-point deficit in the first half to pull off the win.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025
The deficit came despite a $28.8 million increase in revenue from the previous year, highlighting the challenging financial environment even central athletic departments face in today’s collegiate landscape.
—Brian Roberts, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deficit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deficit
Noun
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In 2021, as automakers tried to ramp up production that had been curtailed in the first year of the pandemic, a shortage of parts, most notably computer chips, cut into car production.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2025
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Aviation safety news: FAA to hire 2,000 air traffic controllers amid shortages, tightens Boeing oversightNeed a break?—
David Shepardson,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Many opponents to the legislation have submitted testimony about a lack of public hearings and participation prior to the bills being introduced in the General Assembly.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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One huge change is the lack of ski culture in Cincinnati, where the closest slopes are hours away.—
William Earl,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Early signs of magnesium deficiency include fatigue, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
2 Apr. 2025
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Korsakoff syndrome is a type of dementia that usually occurs as a late-stage effect of thiamine deficiency, especially if Wernicke encephalopathy is not treated.—
Brigid Dwyer,
Verywell Health,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deficit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deficit. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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