deficit meaning

deficit as a noun

1. the property of being an amount by which something is less than expected or required
   • new blood vessels bud out from the already dilated vascular bed to make up the nutritional deficit

   Synonyms: shortage, shortfall

   Type of: insufficiency

   Kinds: oxygen deficit

2. a deficiency or failure in neurological or mental functioning
   • the people concerned have a deficit in verbal memory
   • they have serious linguistic deficits

   Type of: lack

3. (sports) the score by which a team or individual is losing

   Opposite: lead

   Type of: score

4. an excess of liabilities over assets (usually over a certain period)
   • last year there was a serious budgetary deficit

   Type of: liabilities

   Kinds: budget deficit, trade deficit

How to pronounce deficit

deficit is pronounced /ˈdɛfɪsɪt/ in British English and /ˈdɛfəsət/ in American English. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.