1
: one who has not paid for a ticket
2
: a dull or stupid person
3
: a partially submerged log
4
Deadhead
: a devoted fan of the rock group the Grateful Dead
The bond between the [Grateful] Dead and the Deadheads was extraordinary.—
Bill Barich
Bill Barich5
gardening
: a faded blossom on a flowering plant
Pansies are still available for late spring bloom. Keep deadheads off.—Edith Henderson
Edith Henderson
deadheaded; deadheading; deadheads
: to remove the faded flowers of (a plant) especially to keep a neat appearance and to promote reblooming by preventing seed production
Synonyms
Noun
- airhead
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- bubblehead
- chowderhead
- chucklehead
- clodpoll
- clodpole
- clot [British]
- cluck
- clunk
- cretin
- cuddy [British dialect]
- cuddie
- dim bulb [slang]
- dimwit
- dip
- dodo
- dolt
- donkey
- doofus [slang]
- dope
- dork [slang]
- dullard
- dum-dum
- dumbbell
- dumbhead
- dummkopf
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- gander
- golem
- goof
- goon
- half-wit
- hammerhead
- hardhead
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- jackass
- know-nothing
- knucklehead
- lamebrain
- loggerhead [chiefly dialect]
- loon
- lump
- lunkhead
- meathead
- mome [archaic]
- moron
- mug [chiefly British]
- mutt
- natural
- nimrod [slang]
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- noddy
- noodle
- numskull
- numbskull
- oaf
- pinhead
- prat [British]
- ratbag [chiefly Australian]
- saphead
- schlub [slang]
- shlub
- schnook [slang]
- simpleton
- stock
- stupe
- stupid
- thickhead
- turkey
- woodenhead
- yahoo
- yo-yo
Examples of deadhead in a Sentence
Noun
people knew that he was a deadhead and voted for him anyway
Verb
She's out in the garden deadheading the rosebushes.
Recent Examples on the WebUSA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Time reports that during a December show in 1990, some Deadheads in Oakland distributed flyers inviting people to smoke 420 at 4:20 p.m. on April 20.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
Blooms spring through summer; deadhead to keep blooms coming.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2024
In an attempt to ensure tickets get into the hands of Deadheads, advance presale registration for the shows are available here now; advance registration does not guarantee tickets.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024
The group’s devoted fans, the ever-present Deadheads, filed into Oracle Park to pay their respects.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023
Beetles, buses and Deadheads:How VW became a cultural icon in the US over 75 years
Other recent vehicle recalls
Ford has issued two recalls of more than 150,000 vehicles in total, the latest safety notices issued by the carmaker this month.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Plant them in full sun and deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2024
Of course, Deadheads — the longtime followers of the Grateful Dead and its many offshoots like Dead & Co. — basically invented the concept of traveling to other cities to see rock shows.
—Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
Terri Robertson, Country Living, 21 June 2022
So, don’t be too tidy and quick to deadhead.
—Janet Carson, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2021
Also, there is no need to deadhead these.
—Norman Winter, Houston Chronicle, 18 June 2020
Olga showed the girls how to deadhead roses and immediately delved into their lives.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2022
McGrath generally doesn’t deadhead, letting the plants take their course.
—Nancy Hass Ngoc Minh Ngo, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2022
Carolyn Forté, executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab, uses these shears to deadhead her rose bushes, hydrangeas and other flowering plants.
—Alyssa Gautieri, Good Housekeeping, 22 Sep. 2022
The best way to keep a plant blooming is to deadhead the blooms.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2022
Another good reason to deadhead is to encourage flowers to rebloom.
—Susan Brownstein, cleveland, 9 Aug. 2022
Noun
Specifically, a flyer distributed by a group of Oakland Deadheads in December 1990 inviting people to smoke on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. did the trick.
—USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Time reports that during a December show in 1990, some Deadheads in Oakland distributed flyers inviting people to smoke 420 at 4:20 p.m. on April 20.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
Blooms spring through summer; deadhead to keep blooms coming.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2024
In an attempt to ensure tickets get into the hands of Deadheads, advance presale registration for the shows are available here now; advance registration does not guarantee tickets.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024
The group’s devoted fans, the ever-present Deadheads, filed into Oracle Park to pay their respects.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2023
Beetles, buses and Deadheads:How VW became a cultural icon in the US over 75 years
Other recent vehicle recalls
Ford has issued two recalls of more than 150,000 vehicles in total, the latest safety notices issued by the carmaker this month.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Plant them in full sun and deadhead spent flowers to encourage more blooms.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2024
Of course, Deadheads — the longtime followers of the Grateful Dead and its many offshoots like Dead & Co. — basically invented the concept of traveling to other cities to see rock shows.
—Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024
Verb
No need to deadhead the blooms.
—Terri Robertson, Country Living, 21 June 2022
So, don’t be too tidy and quick to deadhead.
—Janet Carson, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2021
Also, there is no need to deadhead these.
—Norman Winter, Houston Chronicle, 18 June 2020
Olga showed the girls how to deadhead roses and immediately delved into their lives.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2022
McGrath generally doesn’t deadhead, letting the plants take their course.
—Nancy Hass Ngoc Minh Ngo, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2022
Carolyn Forté, executive director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab, uses these shears to deadhead her rose bushes, hydrangeas and other flowering plants.
—Alyssa Gautieri, Good Housekeeping, 22 Sep. 2022
The best way to keep a plant blooming is to deadhead the blooms.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2022
Another good reason to deadhead is to encourage flowers to rebloom.
—Susan Brownstein, cleveland, 9 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deadhead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deadhead
Cite this Entry
“Deadhead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadhead. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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