Meaning & Definition of Deficit in English

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"

2. A deficiency or failure in neurological or mental functioning

• "The people concerned have a deficit in verbal memory"

• "They have serious linguistic deficits"

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

4. An excess of liabilities over assets (usually over a certain period)

• "Last year there was a serious budgetary deficit"