flatfooted

[ flat-foot-id ]

adjective
  1. having flatfeet.

  2. taking or showing an uncompromising stand in a matter; firm and explicit: a flatfooted denial.

  1. clumsy or plodding; maladroit: flatfooted writing.

Idioms about flatfooted

  1. catch one flatfooted, to catch one unprepared; surprise: The amount of the bill caught us flatfooted.

Origin of flatfooted

1
First recorded in 1595–1605; flatfoot + -ed3

Other words from flatfooted

  • flat·foot·ed·ly, adverb
  • flat·foot·ed·ness, noun

Words Nearby flatfooted

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flatfooted in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flat-footed

flat-footed

/ (ˌflætˈfʊtɪd) /


adjective
  1. having flatfoot

  2. British informal

    • clumsy or awkward

    • downright and uncompromising

  1. informal off guard or unawares (often in the phrase catch flat-footed)

Derived forms of flat-footed

  • flat-footedly, adverb
  • flat-footedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with flatfooted

flatfooted

see caught flat-footed.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.