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Deficit

nounPronunciation: /ˈdɛf.ɪ.sɪt/

In Portuguese: Déficit

What does “Deficit” mean?

The amount by which a sum of money falls short of the required or expected amount, particularly when spending exceeds revenue.

Etymology

From French déficit, itself from Latin deficit, "it is lacking", the third person singular of deficere, "to fail, to be wanting", made of de-, "away", and facere, "to make, to do". The Latin verb form was written in inventories and accounts to mark what was missing, and so became a noun. English adopted the word in the late 18th century for the shortfall in a budget.

Usage note

A budget deficit is the shortfall of one period; the debt is the total accumulated from past deficits. The opposite is a surplus.

Synonyms

  • shortfall
  • shortage
  • gap
  • deficiency
  • loss

Often confused with

debt
The deficit is how much spending exceeds revenue in one period; the debt is the total owed, built up by the deficits of many periods.

Word family

  • deficient
  • deficiency
  • defect
  • defective

Concept

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

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denariusnoun
A standard silver coin in ancient Roman currency that served as the principal denomination of daily commerce and military pay.
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Also from these editions: terms

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A risky, daring, or commercial undertaking typically involving financial investment and uncertainty regarding the final outcome.
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The tendency of an object to remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force, or a state of sluggish inaction in organizations.
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The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a natural language, or the structural rules governing code expressions in computing.

Also from these editions: concepts

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Cite this entry

“Deficit”. Agency Wiki, Agency Brasil. Published on November 11, 2026. https://www.agencybrasil.com/en/wiki/dictionary/deficit