DEADBEATS Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

deadbeats

noun

plural of deadbeat

as in slugs

a lazy person he snapped instructions to the deadbeats who were standing around watching the work pile up

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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.

Recent Examples of deadbeats Housing prices and rents are inflated by restrictive zoning laws, union work and pay scale mandates, excessive building codes and environmental requirements, litigation and planning process delays, anti-landlord policies that favor deadbeats and squatters, and the list goes on. — Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadbeats

Noun

With the light load of powder that was behind them, these slugs couldn’t possibly have killed the tigress unless an extremely lucky shot had put them into a vital area at very close range.

— Leslie E. Tassell, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
Remember to bury the container deep enough to let the slugs in and out.

— Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of slugs

Noun

Zebra sharks tend to rest on reef floors, regulating bottom-dwelling prey such as snails, clams, crabs, shrimp and small fish, an important part of maintaining thriving ecosystems.

— Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
That includes September’s Aloha Festivals celebrating Hawaiian traditions and the annual Kāhuli Festival at the Bishop Museum in October, a unique family-friendly event spotlighting the vital role of Hawaiian land snails in preserving biodiversity.

— Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of snails

Noun

And typically, Wegmann added, those units are occupied by productive, working adults, not layabouts or career criminals leeching off the system, as the old narrative goes.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Mar. 2026
As the story begins, Mary and Boo are neighbors, unemployed millennial layabouts who rarely leave their rooms.

— Katie Rife, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026

Definition of layabouts

Noun

Within the often zany and slapstick realm of Bob’s Burgers, Tina still manages to steal the show with her singular voice, romantic fantasies, and obsessions with unicorns and boy bums.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
Kennedy’s Albany is a vital, violent place, a hothouse of gangsters, pool hustlers, bums, crooked politicians, and showgirls.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of bums

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deadbeat

deadbeats

deaden

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“Deadbeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadbeats. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of deadbeats

noun

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