dead´head´er

dead|head «DEHD _HEHD», noun, verb, adverb.

–n.

1. Informal. a person who rides on a vehicle, train, or airplane, or sees a game or other entertainment, without paying: »

The passengers, all specially invited guests, were Cabinet members, senators, ambassadors, and other distinguished deadheads (New Yorker).

2. a) a locomotive, empty railroad car, or train of empty cars being hauled from one place to another: »

Putting trailers on flat cars…makes use of cars that would otherwise be idle or “deadheads” (Wall Street Journal).

b) a vehicle, train, or airplane traveling without passengers or freight.

3. a person who does not participate in or contribute to something, such as a social party, a business meeting, or some undertaking, but who is present.

–v.t.

to give (a person) permission to ride, etc., as a deadhead.

–v.i.

1. to be a deadhead.

2. to make a trip without passengers or freight.

–adv.

without passengers or freight: »

In times of growing crisis, we would gradually deposit a few divisions in Europe and fly our planes back deadhead (Wall Street Journal).

–dead´head´er, noun.

dead-head «DEHD _HEHD», intransitive verb, transitive verb.

British. to remove or cut off the dead flowers of a plant: »

Lilacs, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas should be dead-headed (Sunday Times).