deficit
part of speech
noun (a deficit, deficits)
meaning for a pupil
1) An amount by which something is too small: how much is missing compared with what is needed. tree →
2) (money) The amount by which money spent is more than money coming in. tree →
3) (sport) The number of points or goals a team is behind. tree →
sense 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 →
- The club has a deficit, so it must raise money. tree →
- The government's budget deficit grew this year. tree →
- Our team overcame a three-goal deficit to win. tree →
- After the late night I had a sleep deficit. tree →
- The school fair helped make up the deficit. tree →
- There is a deficit of rain this summer. tree →
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.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «deficit» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.