deadbeat

American  

[ded-beet] / ˈdɛdˌbit /

noun

deadbeats plural

1. Informal. a person who deliberately avoids paying debts or neglects responsibilities.

2. Informal. a loafer; sponger.

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adjective

1. Informal. not paying one's debts or neglecting one's responsibilities.

   a deadbeat parent who won't pay for college;

   deadbeat borrowers.

2. Horology. noting any of various timepiece escapements that act without recoil of the locking parts from the shock of contact.

3. Electricity. (of the indicator of an electric meter and the like) coming to a stop with little or no oscillation.

deadbeat British  

/ ˈdɛdˌbiːt /

noun

1. informal a lazy or socially undesirable person

2. 1. a person who makes a habit of avoiding or evading his or her responsibilities or debts

   2. ( as modifier )

      a deadbeat dad

3. a high grade escapement used in pendulum clocks

4. (modifier) (of a clock escapement) having a beat without any recoil

5. (modifier) physics

   1. (of a system) returning to an equilibrium position with little or no oscillation

   2. (of an instrument or indicator) indicating a true reading without oscillation

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• deadbeats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deadbeat

First recorded in 1760–70; dead + beat

Explanation

A deadbeat is someone who owes money or has other financial obligations and doesn't meet them. Deadbeats don't pay their bills. This is an insult that is very specific: deadbeats don't pay what they owe. If someone went to a restaurant and didn't pay, the manager might say "You deadbeat!" If you don't pay a cable or phone bill, you're a deadbeat. A roommate who doesn't pay their share of the rent is a deadbeat. People often talk about deadbeat dads who abandon their children and don't pay child support. A more formal word for a deadbeat is defaulter.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deadbeat deadbeats

He laughed when I asked whether the U.S. could become a deadbeat borrower or release tainted data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

The fish-out-of-water comedy show followed the wealthy Rose family as they abruptly lose their money and mansion, and are forced to move into a shabby motel in a deadbeat town they bought as a joke.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

Just prepare yourself for a Frankensteined dog cop, a killer cyber fish, a plethora of puns and . . . a surprisingly empowering message about how we should regard deadbeat cat dads.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2025

Clara, a housewife stuck in a deadbeat marriage, understands the feeling all too well.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2023

Pluto was just another deadbeat godly dad making weak excuses.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

A review of hundreds of federal lawsuits filed against screening companies over the past 10 years shows how hasty, sloppy matches can lead to reports that wrongly label people deadbeats, criminals or sex offenders.

From New York Times ● May 28, 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