(~es)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If there is a ~ of something, there is more than is needed.
Germany suffers from a ~ of teachers.
N-VAR
2.
Surplus is used to describe something that is extra or that is more than is needed.
Few people have large sums of ~ cash...
The houses are being sold because they are ~ to requirements.
ADJ: usu ADJ n, also v-link ADJ to n
3.
If a country has a trade ~, it exports more than it imports.
Japan’s annual trade ~ is in the region of 100 billion dollars.
N-COUNT: usu n N
4.
If a government has a budget ~, it has spent less than it received in taxes.
Norway’s budget ~ has fallen from 5.9% in 1986 to an expected 0.1% this year.
N-COUNT: usu n N