- informal a lazy or socially undesirable person
- chiefly US
- a person who makes a habit of avoiding or evading his or her responsibilities or debts
- (as modifier): a deadbeat dad
- a high grade escapement used in pendulum clocks
- (modifier) (of a clock escapement) having a beat without any recoil
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dead•beat /ˈdɛdˌbit/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a person who avoids paying debts.
- a person who lives off money from others.
dead•beat
(n. ded′bēt′;adj. ded′bēt′),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
- a person who deliberately avoids paying debts.
- a loafer;
sponger.
adj.
- Time[Horol.]noting any of various escapements acting without recoil of the locking parts from the shock of contact. See diag. under escapement.
- [Elect.](of the indicator of an electric meter and the like) coming to a stop with little or no oscillation.
- dead + beat 1760–70
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
deadbeat /ˈdɛdˌbiːt/ n
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dead beat adj
- informal tired out; exhausted
'deadbeat' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):