back foot
Britishnoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Daniel Jacobs, the communication director for The Science Coalition, said the board’s wipeout actually hurts the country, and puts it on the back foot.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
Creed said she has always been on the back foot because she races with second-hand parts.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
“Markets are opening the week on the back foot as rising Iran-linked geopolitical risk and a sharp uptick in oil prices reintroduce inflation concerns just as rate-cut hopes fade,” says the chief investment officer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
London, Paris and Frankfurt opened on the back foot.
From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026
He shoved against his back foot and skidded along the ice, heading up the river.
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
