deadbeat
noun
a person who deliberately avoids paying debts or neglects responsibilities.
deadbeats
-
pluralof deadbeat.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Perhaps that’s because state and city laws make it difficult to evict deadbeats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
Far from being "deadbeats", Nathan says all the young dads he's worked with "will literally dedicate their whole life to being the best dad they can possibly be".
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2023
We take fatherhood very seriously, calling out bad dads and disassociating ourselves from deadbeats.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2020
“Like deadbeats dodging bill collectors, as a nation, we keep dodging responsibility for what has transpired, what was perpetrated, and that from which we have benefited,” Dorgan writes.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 27, 2020
I loved an empty city room, just the blinking terminals and a few deadbeats like myself.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
