Shortfall (noun)

1. A deficiency or lack of something needed or expected.
2. An amount by which something falls short of a desired or required level.

Origin:

The word "shortfall" comes from the phrase "fall short of" which means to fail to reach a certain level or standard.

Examples:

1. The company's profits were affected by a shortfall in sales.
2. The budget has a shortfall of $10,000 which needs to be covered.
3. The shortfall in funding has forced the organization to make cuts.
4. The shortfall in the number of volunteers has made it difficult to run the event.
5. The shortfall in the number of donations has made it hard to achieve the target.