deadhead

¹ American  

[ded-hed] / ˈdɛdˌhɛd /

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 ² American  

[ded-hed] / ˈdɛdˌhɛd /

noun

plural

Deadheads

1. a fan of the music of the Grateful Dead, particularly one who identifies with the surrounding subculture.

---

deadhead British  

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• non-Deadhead noun

Etymology

Origin of deadhead

First recorded in 1570–80; dead + head

Example Sentences

SemiCab says its technology reduced so-called deadhead miles by 70%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2022

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 • Aug. 31, 2022

The main flower bed is positioned near the house to allow her to water plants and deadhead roses with ease.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2021

For the same deadhead reason people climb mountains—it was there and I wanted to try it.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

Related Words

• felon
• hoodlum
• juvenile delinquent
• lawbreaker
• offender
• wrongdoer