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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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
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 Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Adam B. Summers, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
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 Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadbeats
Noun
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Toads help control snails, slugs, caterpillars, and other invertebrates—pests that have the potential to harm your garden plants, says Amarello.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
6 May 2026
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Similarly, slugs and snails are less likely to travel across jagged surfaces, which can make pine cones a helpful barrier around vulnerable plants like lettuce or hostas.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Squad and platoon leaders can quickly launch drones to scout terrain, identify enemy positions and adjust movements without waiting for external support.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
If there were a fight over Taiwan, the island or the US could use drones to target Chinese ships or aircraft carrying possibly hundreds of thousands of PLA troops across the Taiwan Strait for an assault and occupation.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Noun
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The tide pools around Haystack and elsewhere along Cannon Beach are extraordinary, with colorful sea stars, anemones, crabs, snails, coral, sponges, and sea slugs.—
Kara Williams,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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In addition to helping keep snails and slugs from snacking on your plants, Handley says, the eggshells will biodegrade naturally, and providing a small calcium boost to your garden soil.—
Peg Aloi,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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As the story begins, Mary and Boo are neighbors, unemployed millennial layabouts who rarely leave their rooms.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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History buffs, avid hikers, music lovers, wine aficionados, and beach bums will all find a town to love in the Old Dominion.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
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For ski bums looking to hit the Colorado slopes without slogging through I-70 traffic, there’s no better destination than Winter Park.—
Sarah Cahalan,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The mother-daughter duo both wore white ensembles, with Kourtney adding a pop of silver with her coat and Penelope going for luminous gold loafers.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
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Heydude’s loafers have become an icon in the South thanks to their breathability in the heat, and these sneakers have a similar style with extra function.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deadbeats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadbeats. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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