1
: loafer
2
: one who persistently fails to pay personal debts or expenses
: having a pointer that gives a reading with little or no oscillation
Examples of deadbeat in a Sentence
Noun
His friends are just a bunch of deadbeats.
He was accused of being a deadbeat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Weiss, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
The Season 4, Part 1 finale contains one whopper of a revelation: JJ’s deadbeat father, Luke, isn’t his real dad.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 Oct. 2024
Brian Howey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Others may even cheer the hard line against supposedly deadbeat allies who in this view have taken advantage of American friendship for too long.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deadbeat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Things take a serious turn when Vince’s deadbeat son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) shows up unannounced with his pregnant girlfriend, Marina (Emanuela Postacchini), and alcoholic mother, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge).
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
The Season 4, Part 1 finale contains one whopper of a revelation: JJ’s deadbeat father, Luke, isn’t his real dad.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
In cases where families sued, departments later used the information from those interviews to defend themselves in court, painting the deceased as mentally ill drug addicts and deadbeat parents in part to lower the cost of damages or settlements paid to families.
—Brian Howey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Others may even cheer the hard line against supposedly deadbeat allies who in this view have taken advantage of American friendship for too long.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deadbeat
Cite this Entry
“Deadbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadbeat. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share