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
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
What if Rick’s dad was just a deadbeat who didn’t feel like leaving the boat party?
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
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
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Noun
This one has Skarsgård as Eddie, a deadbeat but well-meaning dad to Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) and petty thief whose attempt to steal a luxury SUV turns into disaster because its unseen psycho vigilante owner named William (Anthony Hopkins) has rigged it so bad things happen.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
What if Rick’s dad was just a deadbeat who didn’t feel like leaving the boat party?
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
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 28 May. 2025.
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