deadbeat Hear it!

deadbeat definition

dead·beat (-bēt′)

adjective

  1. making a beat without recoil a deadbeat clock escapement
  2. not oscillating: said of an indicator on a meter, etc.
  3. ☆ Informal designating a parent who fails to make court-ordered payments for the support of a child

noun

  1. a person who tries to evade paying debts
  2. a lazy, idle person

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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