deadbeat

[ ded-beet ]

noun

1. Informal. a person who deliberately avoids paying debts or neglects responsibilities.
2. Informal. a loafer; sponger.

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of deadbeat¹

First recorded in 1760–70; dead + beat

Example Sentences

He and Evans never find their groove, and while Evans’ Boston-accented deadbeat cad routine is rote for him at this point, Johnson feels adrift, never locking in to a specific tone.

From Los Angeles Times

When some of the families later sued, authorities often used information from those interviews to portray the deceased as mentally ill criminals or deadbeat parents while defending their agencies in court.

From Los Angeles Times

And it's especially rich for the notorious deadbeat Trump to lecture anyone about paying bills.

From Salon

Phyllis never lets her children forget that it’s their deadbeat, two-timing father who is to blame for their troubles.

From Los Angeles Times

“She doesn’t care about you or your mother. She only cares about saving that deadbeat father.”

From Literature