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:
Veteran David Quessenberry, a ninth-year pro who last started a game in 2023, will start in place of Jackson as quarterback Matthew Stafford’s blindside protector.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Siya Kolisi may return to the back row after recovering from a hamstring injury, but Erasmus has also named Paul de Villiers as a back-up at blindside flanker in case Kolisi is not ready.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
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
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
Better to prepare her for the worst than let it blindside her.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
"I'm not actually against it being part of World Triathlon. It's more the fact we were blindsided, it's just like it's here," she added.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Blunt maintains he was blindsided by the accusation, but bears no grudges.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
I never want anybody to feel embarrassed or angry or blindsided when they’re talking to me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Jordan Firstman’s sincere, funny and genuinely moving debut feature has him playing a queer New York underground party promoter blindsided by the arrival of the 10-year-old son previously unknown to him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Because it might turn out that the fellow across the aisle was the guy you’d nearly blindsided at the freeway exit yesterday in order to beat him to a promising garage sale.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
