as in slug
a lazy person
he snapped instructions to the deadbeats who were standing around watching the work pile up
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deadbeat
The Housing Court system allows deadbeat tenants to live rent-free for months, sometimes years, while waiting to resolve rent disputes.
—
Alva Badillo, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025
Meanwhile, Devon is trying to find her deadbeat sometimes lover and friend, Ray, but can’t track him down.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 22 May 2025
More troubling was being lumped in with Trump’s growing list of deadbeats, criminals and other miscreants.
—Ian Cooper, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for deadbeat
Alva Badillo, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025
Meanwhile, Devon is trying to find her deadbeat sometimes lover and friend, Ray, but can’t track him down.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 22 May 2025
More troubling was being lumped in with Trump’s growing list of deadbeats, criminals and other miscreants.
—Ian Cooper, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for deadbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadbeat
Noun
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Snails can look like little elephants, slugs can look like fish, and worms can look like swimming chandeliers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
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The reflective foil discourages unwanted insects and pests like slugs from approaching and harming the plants, but actually helps to attract butterflies.—
Darcy Lenz,
Southern Living,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Eastern members of the alliance, including Estonia, Poland, and Romania, recently reported incursions into their airspace, while drones that disrupted Danish airports are suspected of being linked to Russia.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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But delivering that blood to medics by drones?—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many springs feature a visible boil at the water surface above the spring vent, crystal clear water, submerged grasses waving in the current, and a range of fish, turtles, snails and other aquatic animals hiding in the grasses.—
Christopher F. Meindl,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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In our lives how many things are like the snail, never thought of?—
Victoria Chang,
The New York Review of Books,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cora planned for his players to test the right fielder’s bum elbow — the Red Sox always attack pinstriped vulnerabilities on the basepaths — and sure enough Nick Sogard turned a single into a double in the seventh because Judge can’t throw the ball.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Among them are South Korean’s CIA Director (Ryoo Seung-bum) and the Japanese Deputy Minister of Transport (Takayuki Yamada).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The revolution is in tatters, and DiCaprio’s Bob, once a celebrity rebel, is now a benignly useless substance-using layabout who tries, in his shambling way, to take care of his and Perfidia’s daughter, Willa (played with a no-nonsense radiance by Chase Infiniti).—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
17 Sep. 2025
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Dreux has entrusted Alyssa with delivering Uche’s money before the first of the month—but instead, Alyssa has asked her layabout, freeloading boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) to put the money in Uche’s hands.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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While a proper selection of fall shoes should include boots, sneakers, and loafers, clogs have also earned their spot on the list of wardrobe staples.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
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Sam Edelman Lucca Loafer A great loafer worn on the streets of the Brera is so very Milanese.—
Nneya Richards,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deadbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadbeat. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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