dead beat

adjective

1. informal,  tired out; exhausted

Idioms and Phrases

Defeated; also exhausted. For example, That horse was dead beat before the race even began , or, as Charles Dickens put it in Martin Chuzzlewit (1843): “Pull off my boots for me ... I am quite knocked up. Dead beat.” [ Slang ; first half of 1800s]

Also, deadbeat . A lazy person or loafer; also, one who does not pay debts. For example, Her housemate knew she was a deadbeat, shirking her share of the chores , or He's a deadbeat; don't count on getting that money back . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s]

Related Words

• exhausted 
• listless 
• weary