deadbeat

noun

ˈded-ˌbēt How to pronounce deadbeat (audio)
Definition of deadbeatnext
as in slug
a lazy person he snapped instructions to the deadbeats who were standing around watching the work pile up

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of deadbeat Andres was born in Cuba to a deadbeat alcoholic who beat him, according to his attorneys. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Nov. 2025 To track down her mother, Lila teams up with her deadbeat father for a journey that includes grudge-settling, Russian criminals, and corrupt politicians. — Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 18 May 2026 Based on a script by Justin Varava that made the 2024 Black List, Turpentine follows a deadbeat son who hires friends to rob his own parents to pay off a bookie, with disastrous results. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 May 2026 Housing prices and rents are inflated by restrictive zoning laws, union work and pay scale mandates, excessive building codes and environmental requirements, litigation and planning process delays, anti-landlord policies that favor deadbeats and squatters, and the list goes on. — Adam Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for deadbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deadbeat
  1. slug
  2. drone
  3. snail
  4. bum
  5. layabout
Noun
  • Calendula Calendula’s fleshy leaves, stems, and flowers also draw slugs and snails away from other crops and can be interplanted in food or flower gardens for natural slug control.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • Dunlap explains that these pungent compounds deter strawberry-loving garden pests like slugs and aphids while also acting as mild fungicides.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
Definition of slug
Noun
  • The war is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur and Blue Nile states, with drone warfare causing 60% of casualties, according to UNICEF.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • The purchase reflects a broader effort to improve protection at military bases as unauthorized drone activity becomes more common.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
Definition of drone
Noun
  • Calendula Calendula’s fleshy leaves, stems, and flowers also draw slugs and snails away from other crops and can be interplanted in food or flower gardens for natural slug control.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 3 July 2026
  • The game was crawling along at a snail’s pace with a rare boundary here and there.
    — Mohsin Kamal, New York Times, 25 June 2026
Definition of snail
Noun
  • Sometimes there is a fine line between being a hero or a bum, but Dave has been able to negotiate that line, because players trust him, and the players know that Dave cares about them and their families.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Designed with a plunging neckline, modest bum coverage, and compressive fabric with UPF 50 sun protection, the elegant silhouette offers rich-girl vacation energy that could easily double as a bodysuit with shorts.
    — Olivia Cigliano, InStyle, 20 June 2026
Definition of bum
Noun
  • Marlon's Shorty Meeks is in his 25th year of high school, but has made millions as a layabout live-streamer.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 June 2026
  • When layabout postman Jesper gets assigned to the frozen town of Smeerensburg with an ultimatum to process 6,000 letters, a reclusive toymaker might be his only hope.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 15 May 2026
Definition of layabout

Browse Nearby Words

dead
deadbeat
deadbeats
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Cite this Entry

“Deadbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deadbeat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on deadbeat

Nglish: Translation of deadbeat for Spanish Speakers

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