blindside
Americanverb (used with object)
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Sports. to tackle, hit, or attack (an opponent) from the blind side.
The quarterback was blindsided and had the ball knocked out of his hand.
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to attack critically where a person is vulnerable, uninformed, etc..
The president was blindsided by the press on the latest tax bill.
Etymology
Origin of blindside
First recorded in 1970–75; verb use of noun phrase blind side
Explanation
To blindside is to launch a surprise attack, especially one that comes from an obstructed or hidden place. Your video game army might blindside your friend's army, resulting in your victory. If you come up from behind your brother and shove him, you can say that you blindside him. There is also a more figurative way to blindside someone — simply to do or say something the person is utterly unprepared for. You could blindside your family, for example, by suddenly announcing that you're moving to China. The oldest use of blindside as a verb, around 1968, referred to a football tackle.
Vocabulary lists containing blindside
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Lyrics from "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann
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Five Feet Apart
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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.
See Examples For:
Tiny funds tend not to last long so the wave of launches this year and next is almost guaranteed to bring hundreds of closures that can blindside unsuspecting owners with tax bills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Deaves will start at openside flanker alongside blindside Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright at No.8.
From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025
Teani Feleu, the younger sister of Manae, and Hina Ikahehegi both come into the pack, with the influential Charlotte Escudero moving from number eight to blindside flanker.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
The Chiefs spent a first-round pick on him to protect Patrick Mahomes' blindside in an area that's cost them two heavy Super Bowl defeats.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2025
It was her intent to blindside Scythe Curie with it.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
The company last year complained that it was blindsided by the FDA rejection after having followed the agency’s guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
BBC Scotland Westminster correspondent Paris Gourtsoyannis said Scottish Labour parliamentarians appeared to have been blindsided by the news.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
As she’s being driven to her office, she’s blindsided by the news that her medical records have been leaked, revealing she is in ill health and sending company shares tumbling.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Their view: that those AI skeptics could get blindsided this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Furious at being blindsided by the appointment, Bush dodged Groves’s brusque queries about the state of the project and dashed off a prickly letter to Stimson’s assistant, Harvey Bundy.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
It’s more than fair to say that this dust-up isn’t a new development that is blindsiding investors.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2025
Fox News host turned Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth faced an investigation over a sexual assault allegation, blindsiding President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, according to news reports.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2024
“It’s been awful. It’s been blindsiding, it’s been a shock because I personally love the L.A. Times and I loved working for you guys and ... that’s gone.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
Reckitt recently raised prices on some formulas, blindsiding some parents already frustrated with the struggle to find certain brands.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles admit they didn't consult players about the jersey, apologising also for blindsiding them.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2022
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.
