deadbeat: Meaning and Definition of

dead•beat

Pronunciation: (n.ded'bēt"adj.ded'bēt'), [key]
— n.
  1. a person who deliberately avoids paying debts.
  2. a loafer; sponger.
—adj.
  1. noting any of various escapements acting without recoil of the locking parts from the shock of contact. See diag. under
  2. (of the indicator of an electric meter and the like) coming to a stop with little or no oscillation.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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