deadpan
Americanadjective
-
marked by or accomplished with a careful pretense of seriousness or calm detachment; impassive or expressionless.
deadpan humor.
-
displaying no emotional or personal involvement.
a deadpan style.
adverb
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
a face showing no expression.
-
a style of comedy that relies on the comedian's maintaining such a face.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deadpan
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; dead + pan 1 (in the slang sense “face”)
Explanation
Use the word deadpan to describe someone who uses no expression when speaking, such as the deadpan way some comedians deliver even their funniest jokes — which can make them even funnier. Deadpan dates to 1928, when pan was slang for "face." So if you seem to have a "dead face" as you say something, it means your face looks very blank — no energy or animation. Deadpan is associated with sarcasm, and like sarcasm, if you use it for comic effect, there's a risk your audience won't pick up on it. Nevertheless, deadpan humor can be funny and popular — witness the success of deadpan humor in the sitcom Seinfeld.
Vocabulary lists containing deadpan
The Hate U Give
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The Egypt Game
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Every Day
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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.
See Examples For:
With the Deep’s deadpan delivery, for instance, Crawford felt free to lean into his natural comedic timing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Townsend was particularly deadpan on Thursday and no wonder.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
At the center of it is Curt Cignetti, the deadpan coaching lifer who took a flier on Bloomington in 2023, told Hoosier Nation he wins wherever he goes —“Google me”—and went out and did it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Rapaport barks in the same scene, forcing teammate Ron Funches to deadpan, “You’re playing a game right now.”
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
Keeping his expression deadpan, he suggested that I climb it.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
“Eternity is long,” she deadpanned, drawing laughs from the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
“It’s part of our job now,” she deadpanned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
“The award for Most Editing goes to CBS News,” she deadpanned.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
“I was proud that we improved from three 4-for-33,” the coach deadpanned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025
“She’s here for the same reason we all are. To have a great time,” Sean deadpanned before letting out an unapologetic burp.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Phillips called the splits a “coincidence,” deadpanning that “we don’t go on the road and talk about, ‘Oh geez, I guess we’re not gonna do good.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
Statham is less violent here than in previous Ritchie outings, but he remains unflappable, which is why he charms as he disarms with his patented deadpanning and action moves.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2023
Yogi relented, deadpanning, “O.K., fine, make it like mine.”
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 16, 2019
Mr. Black is perhaps too sardonic a presence, but Ms. Blanchett — as a fellow spell-caster — takes evident pleasure in deadpanning lines like “I melted Salvador Dalí’s watch once, right off his wrist.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2018
Stewart won some laughter after deadpanning: “I couldn’t hear you. Can you say that again?”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 14, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
