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
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
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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.
Kabeya's absence gives Bristol teenager Demelza Short, who made her Test debut in the second row against Scotland, a start at blindside flanker.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
He replaces Matt Fagerson at number eight, with Fagerson switching to blindside flanker.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
Pollock lines up at number eight as part of a reshaped back row that sees Ben Earl move to openside and Tom Curry come in at blindside.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
Deaves will start at openside flanker alongside blindside Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright at No.8.
From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025
It was her intent to blindside Scythe Curie with it.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
