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# deficit

noun (a deficit, deficits)

«deficit» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. An amount by which something is too small: how much is missing compared with what is needed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#m1)
2. (money) The amount by which money spent is more than money coming in. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#m2)
3. (sport) The number of points or goals a team is behind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#m3)

### In the lessons

In maths and money problems, a deficit is a shortfall: if you need 50 and have 35, the deficit is 15. In news, a government «budget deficit» means it spends more than it collects in taxes. In sport, a team «came back from a two-goal deficit». Phrases: «a deficit of», «budget deficit», «sleep deficit», «make up the deficit».

### Examples

- We needed 30 chairs but had only 24, a deficit of six. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x1)
- The club has a deficit, so it must raise money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x2)
- The government's budget deficit grew this year. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x3)
- Our team overcame a three-goal deficit to win. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x4)
- After the late night I had a sleep deficit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x5)
- The school fair helped make up the deficit. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x6)
- There is a deficit of rain this summer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/#x7)

### Note

Countable noun. Pronounced «DEF-i-sit». Opposite: surplus (more than needed). In maths: deficit = amount needed minus amount you have, so it is a subtraction. «Attention deficit» is part of the name of the condition ADHD.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «deficit» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deficit/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«deficit» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/deficit.html) on Mova free.