- 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).
Useful english dictionary. 2012.