deficit

Compared meaning: not having enough of something needed (noun).

比较义项：缺乏、不足（某种需要的东西不够）（名词）。

• deficit 本词

  Deficit describes the amount by which spending, income, or a resource falls short of what is needed; it is common in formal or financial contexts like government budgets and trade balances.

  deficit指支出、收入或某种资源低于所需水平的差额，常用于政府预算、贸易差额等正式或财务语境。

  The country's trade deficit widened sharply due to rising imports.

  由于进口增加，该国的贸易deficit大幅扩大。

• shortage

  Shortage is the everyday word for not having enough of something in general, such as food, water, or staff; it names the lack itself rather than a specific measured amount.

  shortage是日常用词，泛指食物、水或人手等东西不够，强调“缺乏”这件事本身，而不是具体的数量差。

  Hospitals are struggling with a severe shortage of nurses this winter.

  今年冬天，医院正面临严重的护士shortage问题。

• shortfall

  Shortfall emphasizes the numerical gap between an actual amount and an expected or targeted amount, and is typically used in financial or performance reports.

  shortfall强调实际数量与预期或目标数量之间的具体差额，通常用于财务或业绩报告中。

  Sales missed the target, leaving a shortfall of two million dollars.

  销售额未达到目标，出现了两百万美元的shortfall。

Deficit, shortage, and shortfall all mean not having enough of something. Deficit is the amount by which spending falls short, common in budgets. Shortage is the everyday word for lacking something, like food or staff. Shortfall is the gap between an actual and expected amount.

这三个词都表示“不足”或“短缺”，但语气和使用场景不同：shortage是最日常的说法，泛指资源或物资不够；deficit多用于财务、预算等正式语境中的收支差额；shortfall则强调实际数值与预期目标之间的差距，常见于业绩、销售等报告中。