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to deadpan

to deadpan

1 7.0
To say or do something without showing any feeling, often to be funny
  • verb
  • /ˈdɛdˌpæn/
translation icon : decir en tono impasible
  • "He makes more money than all you guys put together," Hollins deadpans.

Examples

  • And Joey looks at me deadpan, goes I wasn't listening to you because I am incapable of doing two things at once.

  • "I have joked that I want my legacy to be 'World's Oldest Man,'" he deadpans.

    Blog text (17)
  • And Chuck deadpan looks me in the eyes and goes no, I don't.

  • "Nope, I left an hour ago," he deadpans.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • And she just deadpan stares at me and says I don't speak.

  • I told him that didn't really sound like me," he deadpans.

    Blog text (11)
  • "And here I thought they wanted a caboose for the conga line," he deadpans.

    Blog text (27)
  • "I can't believe I forgot my wallet again," he deadpan said, showing no emotion.

  • When asked about the poor weather, she deadpan replied, "It's just another sunny day in paradise."

  • The comedian deadpan delivered his punchline, leaving the audience in stitches.

Antonyms

13 3.9

Clearly and directly stated without leaving anything unspoken

Surface Forms

deadpan infinitive
deadpanned past
deadpanned past participle
deadpanning present participle
deadpans third person singular

Etymology

Deadpan as a verb comes from the same idea: dead ('not alive') plus pan ('face'), meaning to put on a 'dead face' while speaking. So to deadpan something is to say it with no expression to make the joke sharper.