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deadbeat

noun
/ˈdɛdbiːt/UK

Etymology

From dead + beat. As an adjective, of a person, to be exhausted, first use appears c. the 1820s. During the American Civil War, it also became a derogatory adjective, in the sense of "a person that defaults on their debts or avoids responsibilities" and "sponger", "vagabond". This sense dates from c. 1863. Possibly related to good for nothing.

  1. derived from *bautaną✻ — “to push, strike”
  2. derived from *bautan✻
  3. derived from bēatan — “to beat, pound, strike, lash, dash, thrust, hurt, injure”
  4. inherited from beten
  5. compounded as deadbeat — “dead + beat”

Definitions

  1. A lazy or irresponsible person who is often unemployed, often depending upon wealthy or…

    A lazy or irresponsible person who is often unemployed, often depending upon wealthy or otherwise financially independent people for support.

  2. A person who defaults on debts.

  3. Having a damped needle that stops without oscillation.

  4. ›+ 4 more definitions

    1. Defaulting on one's debts.

    2. Defeated or exhausted.

    3. Lazy or irresponsible.

    4. Dead tired.

The neighborhood

Derived

deadbeat dad, deadbeat mom

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for deadbeat. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA