Deadman

name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A corpse. obsolete

    "There is no deadman to be found at Deadman's Curve."

  2. 2
    A long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays.

    "The building code requires deadmen for retaining walls."

  3. 3
    A cutout device that operates in the event that an operator releases the control handles, leaves the operator's seat, or otherwise seems to be no longer present and alert.

    "a deadman device"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
dead man's switch

Example

More examples

"There is no deadman to be found at Deadman's Curve."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From dead + man. In the sense referring to a safety switch, the notion of an operator who is dead is the figurative archetype representing any incapacitation, absence, or inattention. See also Dead Hand in that regard.

Etymology 2

Probably from deadman.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.