deficit

Universal Words noun 1 (economics) the amount by which money spent or owed is greater than money earned in a particular period of time: a budget / trade deficit * The trade balance has been in deficit for the past five years. compareSURPLUS 2 the amount by which sth, especially an amount of money, is too small or smaller than sth else: There's a deficit of $3 million in the total needed to complete the project. * The team has to come back from a 20 deficit in the first half.