: marked by an impassive matter-of-fact manner, style, or expression
a deadpan comedy
: in a deadpan manner : without emotion : blankly
Larry David started out in the 1970s doing stand-up in comedy clubs such as Catch a Rising Star, where if he came out on stage and did not like the audience he would stare at them deadpan … and walk off.—
Lee Siegel
Lee Siegel"A sex and violence weekend?" "That's two weekend ideas, actually," Derbin replies deadpan.—Judith Miller
Judith Miller1
: a deadpan manner of behavior or presentation
2
: a completely expressionless face
Examples of deadpan in a Sentence
Adjective
he delivered the joke in such a deadpan voice that we thought at first that he was serious
Noun
He tells the joke in his best deadpan.
She's a master of deadpan.
Verb
“I went back to doing push-ups again, and this time I almost completed one,” he deadpanned.
Recent Examples on the Web
Claire Franken, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Certainly, there are delights here — bleach-blond Timothy Olyphant’s natural deadpan and pitch-perfect skepticism make synth Kirsh the series’ standout character, and the spider eyeball is a fun chaos agent.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025
Kreider laughs at his own deadpan.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Larry deadpans when Jeff arrives in full cowboy attire.
—Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
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.
Adjective
Along with Arcuri, the recurring cast features Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) as Gina, Sheriff Fox’s deadpan and efficient assistant and the face of the Edgewater County Sheriff’s Office.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 24 Sep. 2025
Certainly, there are delights here — bleach-blond Timothy Olyphant’s natural deadpan and pitch-perfect skepticism make synth Kirsh the series’ standout character, and the spider eyeball is a fun chaos agent.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
Just like everything old that becomes new again, this generation has claimed Ortega’s dark, stoic, intimidating, deadpan take on Wednesday as their own—perfect Halloween costume material.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025
Kreider laughs at his own deadpan.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Wednesday deadpans before the two are transported to a surreal dreamscape featuring a giant gorgon-head fireplace.
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Larry deadpans when Jeff arrives in full cowboy attire.
—Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for deadpan
Cite this Entry
“Deadpan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadpan. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share