deficit spending

NOUN

spending in excess of revenue or income

Synonyms

STRONGEST

budget deficit

WEAK

compensatory spending debt debt explosion deficit financing in the red megadebt negative cash flow no assets overspending paying out in excess of income pump priming

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Current deficit spending as a percent of GDP of 5.2% would be 6.1% without tariff revenue,” says Bill Merz, head of capital markets research at U.S.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

McLennan pointed to two paths forward for governments in developed economies to address their deficit spending and high levels of debt.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026

The dollar has broadly weakened, in part because planned tax cuts and other policies are fueling fears about deficit spending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

Head teacher Dan Crossman says the school is in an in-year deficit, spending more money than it has got coming in.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2025

In 2001, during a civil conflict, the economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency