blindside

[blahynd-sahyd]

verb (used with object)

blindsided, blindsiding 

1. 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.

2. to attack critically where a person is vulnerable, uninformed, etc..

   The president was blindsided by the press on the latest tax bill.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blindside¹

First recorded in 1970–75; verb use of noun phrase blind side

Example Sentences

Parents said they had been "blindsided" by the move and claimed an initial six-week public consultation was not enough.

Read more on BBC

The news blindsided U.S. officials who agreed to a deal in May with China to pause the implementation of aggressive tariffs.

Read more on Barron's

During a 90-minute call on Wednesday with executive members of PhRMA, the trade group representing the pharmaceutical industry, some other CEOs were angry and felt blindsided, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Employees at the CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, which conducts research on autism, were “blindsided” by the administration’s announcement, according to some CDC employees, who said they weren’t consulted.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

KION-TV’s news anchors, producers and other employees said they were confused and blindsided by the decision to immediately lay off the more than a dozen employees involved in news operations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bump 
• concussion 
• impact 
• jab 
• jolt 
• kick 
• punch 
• shock 
• slap 
• stroke 
• uppercut