deadhead

[ ded-hed ]

noun

1. a person who attends a performance, sports event, etc., or travels on a train, airplane, etc., without having paid for a ticket, especially a person using a complimentary ticket or free pass.
2. a train, railroad car, airplane, truck, or other commercial vehicle while operating empty, as when returning to a terminal.
3. a stupid or boring person; dullard.
4. Metallurgy. excess metal in the riser of a mold.
5. a sunken or partially sunken log.

verb (used with object)

1. to transport (someone) as a deadhead.
2. to move (an empty commercial vehicle) along a route.
3. Horticulture. to remove faded blooms from (ornamental plants), especially in flower gardens, often to help continued blooming.

verb (used without object)

1. to act or serve as a deadhead.
2. (of a commercial vehicle) to travel without cargo or paying passengers:

   The train carried coal to Pittsburgh and then deadheaded back to Virginia to pick up another load.

deadhead

/ ˈdɛdˌhɛd /

noun

1. a dull unenterprising person
2. a person who uses a free ticket, as for a train, the theatre, etc
3. a train, etc, travelling empty
4. a totally or partially submerged log floating in a lake, etc

verb

1. tr to cut off withered flowers from (a plant)
2. intr to drive an empty bus, train, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of deadhead¹

First recorded in 1570–80; dead + head

Example Sentences

Waterlogged trees, known as “deadheads,” can partly sink or drift at angles where they’re mostly underwater, he said.

From Seattle Times

Olga showed the girls how to deadhead roses and immediately delved into their lives.

From Los Angeles Times

From here it’s a 10-minute float to camp, but the guides give us the option to hike while they deadhead the rafts.

From Washington Post

A few times, I donned gardening gloves and carried pruning shears outside to deadhead stems and prove to the neighbors that I was a real gardener, but the bees wouldn’t stand for it.

From Washington Post

To promote better growth, don’t let plants get too dry and frequently remove deadheads.

From Seattle Times

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