: 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
Walden Green, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Zoey’s deadbeat father, who left her as a baby to become a rock star, does not show up to do any sort of healing.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2025
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
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
After a career spent writing paeans to deadbeats and douchebags, of course her take on true love sounds like a horror movie.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Zoey’s deadbeat father, who left her as a baby to become a rock star, does not show up to do any sort of healing.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Debra and Pam married well — very well — until their money ran out because of their husbands’ medical issues, unpaid taxes, bad investments and deadbeat ways.
—Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for deadbeat
Cite this Entry
“Deadbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadbeat. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
