: 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
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
In times of increasing cynicism and apathy in the zeitgeist, this phantasm extravaganza — at once humorously deadpan in its playful tableaus and poignantly sincere at its emotional core — feels like a breath of fresh air.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Bronstein, her every utterance brimming with deadpan passive-aggression, was shrewd to cast herself as one of Linda’s many antagonists.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 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
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Adjective
Discerning viewers flock to the Greek filmmaker’s parables about family dynamics and power struggles to marinate in his deadpan humor, his aloof and somewhat anthropological look at human behavior, and the sight of Emma Stone inevitably doing something odd.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
In times of increasing cynicism and apathy in the zeitgeist, this phantasm extravaganza — at once humorously deadpan in its playful tableaus and poignantly sincere at its emotional core — feels like a breath of fresh air.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
Morgan, Joanne’s deadpan, uber-confident sister who is mostly critical of Joanne’s new relationship, and is responsible for many of the show’s funniest moments.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Bronstein, her every utterance brimming with deadpan passive-aggression, was shrewd to cast herself as one of Linda’s many antagonists.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 2025.
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