deadhead

[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)
6.
to transport (someone) as a deadhead.
7.
to move (an empty commercial vehicle) along a route.
8.
Horticulture. to remove faded blooms from (ornamental plants), especially in flower gardens, often to help continued blooming.
verb (used without object)
9.
to act or serve as a deadhead.
10.
(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.
Origin
1570-80; dead + head
Examples from the web for deadhead
  • With repeat-flowering kinds, deadhead spent blooms regularly, cutting back several inches to a five-leaflet leaf.
  • Continue to deadhead existing plants, and fertilize one last time early in the month.
  • Fertilize, water, and deadhead occasionally for a riot of bloom and texture all summer long.
  • Which means you don't deadhead them and end up with lots of volunteers.
  • The total hours of travel by bus, including both revenue service and deadhead travel.
  • Some of the lakes were the repositories for slab wood, sawdust, and deadhead logs left after early logging.
  • The route is the path the bus travels from the school to either pick up or drop off student, not to include deadhead mileage.
  • The registrant must record all movement of apportioned vehicles including loaded, empty, deadhead and/or bobtail distance.
British Dictionary definitions for deadhead

deadhead

/ˈdɛdˌhɛd/
noun
1.
a dull unenterprising person
2.
a person who uses a free ticket, as for a train, the theatre, etc
3.
(US & Canadian) a train, etc, travelling empty
4.
(US & Canadian) a totally or partially submerged log floating in a lake, etc
verb
5.
(transitive) to cut off withered flowers from (a plant)
6.
(intransitive) (US & Canadian) to drive an empty bus, train, etc
Word Origin and History for deadhead

Deadhead

n.

by 1974 in sense of "devotee of the rock music band the Grateful Dead;" earlier (with lower-case) "one who rides for free on the railroads" (1866), and "non-paying spectator" (1841).

Slang definitions & phrases for deadhead

deadhead

modifier

: a deadhead cab/ deadhead freight train

noun
  1. A nonpaying spectator at a game, show, etc; freeloader (1841+)
  2. A nonpaying passenger (1869+ Railroad)
  3. A train, bus, tractor truck, etc, carrying no passengers or freight, usually returning from a paying trip (1911+)
  4. A stupid person; an incompetent; klutz (1950s+)
  5. n extremely boring person (1940s+)
verb

: I'll deadhead your hack back to the garage


Deadhead

noun

A devotee of the rock-and-roll group the Grateful Dead: Tipper Gore, Deadhead and wife of Vice President Al Gore (1970s+)