diff --git a/Lib/pdb.py b/Lib/pdb.py
index 2d7da2f82bea81..14ed25ed147011 100644
--- a/Lib/pdb.py
+++ b/Lib/pdb.py
@@ -100,7 +100,6 @@
 import _pyrepl.utils
 
 from contextlib import ExitStack, closing, contextmanager
-from rlcompleter import Completer
 from types import CodeType
 from warnings import deprecated
 
@@ -364,6 +363,7 @@ def __init__(self, completekey='tab', stdin=None, stdout=None, skip=None,
             readline.set_completer_delims(' \t\n`@#%^&*()=+[{]}\\|;:\'",<>?')
         except ImportError:
             pass
+
         self.allow_kbdint = False
         self.nosigint = nosigint
         # Consider these characters as part of the command so when the users type
@@ -1092,6 +1092,31 @@ def set_convenience_variable(self, frame, name, value):
     # Generic completion functions.  Individual complete_foo methods can be
     # assigned below to one of these functions.
 
+    @property
+    def rlcompleter(self):
+        """Return the `Completer` class from `rlcompleter`, while avoiding the
+        side effects of changing the completer from `import rlcompleter`.
+
+        This is a compromise between GH-138860 and GH-139289. If GH-139289 is
+        fixed, then we don't need this and we can just `import rlcompleter` in
+        `Pdb.__init__`.
+        """
+        if not hasattr(self, "_rlcompleter"):
+            try:
+                import readline
+            except ImportError:
+                # readline is not available, just get the Completer
+                from rlcompleter import Completer
+                self._rlcompleter = Completer
+            else:
+                # importing rlcompleter could have side effect of changing
+                # the current completer, we need to restore it
+                prev_completer = readline.get_completer()
+                from rlcompleter import Completer
+                self._rlcompleter = Completer
+                readline.set_completer(prev_completer)
+        return self._rlcompleter
+
     def completenames(self, text, line, begidx, endidx):
         # Overwrite completenames() of cmd so for the command completion,
         # if no current command matches, check for expressions as well
@@ -1186,10 +1211,9 @@ def completedefault(self, text, line, begidx, endidx):
             conv_vars = self.curframe.f_globals.get('__pdb_convenience_variables', {})
             return [f"${name}" for name in conv_vars if name.startswith(text[1:])]
 
-        # Use rlcompleter to do the completion
         state = 0
         matches = []
-        completer = Completer(self.curframe.f_globals | self.curframe.f_locals)
+        completer = self.rlcompleter(self.curframe.f_globals | self.curframe.f_locals)
         while (match := completer.complete(text, state)) is not None:
             matches.append(match)
             state += 1
@@ -1204,8 +1228,8 @@ def _enable_rlcompleter(self, ns):
             return
 
         try:
+            completer = self.rlcompleter(ns)
             old_completer = readline.get_completer()
-            completer = Completer(ns)
             readline.set_completer(completer.complete)
             yield
         finally:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pdb.py b/Lib/test/test_pdb.py
index 6b74e21ad73d1a..9a7d855003551a 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_pdb.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pdb.py
@@ -4688,6 +4688,28 @@ def foo():
         stdout, _ = self._run_script(script, commands)
         self.assertIn("42", stdout)
 
+    def test_readline_not_imported(self):
+        """GH-138860
+        Directly or indirectly importing readline might deadlock a subprocess
+        if it's launched with process_group=0 or preexec_fn=setpgrp
+
+        It's also a pattern that readline is never imported with just import pdb.
+
+        This test is to ensure that readline is not imported for import pdb.
+        It's possible that we have a good reason to do that in the future.
+        """
+
+        script = textwrap.dedent("""
+            import sys
+            import pdb
+            if "readline" in sys.modules:
+                print("readline imported")
+        """)
+        commands = ""
+        stdout, stderr = self._run_script(script, commands)
+        self.assertNotIn("readline imported", stdout)
+        self.assertEqual(stderr, "")
+
 
 @support.force_colorized_test_class
 class PdbTestColorize(unittest.TestCase):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py b/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py
index 3e7b2cd0dc9912..3062f4eb9be557 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pyclbr.py
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ def test_others(self):
                 'pdb',
                 # pyclbr does not handle elegantly `typing` or properties
                 ignore=('Union', '_ModuleTarget', '_ScriptTarget', '_ZipTarget', 'curframe_locals',
-                        '_InteractState'),
+                        '_InteractState', 'rlcompleter'),
             )
         cm('pydoc', ignore=('input', 'output',))  # properties
 
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-09-20-17-50-31.gh-issue-138860.Y9JXap.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-09-20-17-50-31.gh-issue-138860.Y9JXap.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..0903eb71ae4346
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-09-20-17-50-31.gh-issue-138860.Y9JXap.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Lazy import :mod:`rlcompleter` in :mod:`pdb` to avoid deadlock in subprocess.
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-09-24-14-17-34.gh-issue-139289.Vmk25k.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-09-24-14-17-34.gh-issue-139289.Vmk25k.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..04162619cf218b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Library/2025-09-24-14-17-34.gh-issue-139289.Vmk25k.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Do a real lazy-import on :mod:`rlcompleter` in :mod:`pdb` and restore the existing completer after importing :mod:`rlcompleter`.