flat-footed
Britishadjective
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having flatfoot
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informal
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clumsy or awkward
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downright and uncompromising
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informal off guard or unawares (often in the phrase catch flat-footed )
Other Word Forms
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.
He tried to conserve energy and find momentum but he repeatedly got caught flat-footed by Navone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Wood dictated the tempo across 12 rounds against a frustrated, flat-footed Warrington.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
Unable to trap West Ham with a high press, United were caught flat-footed by an incisive break.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
“And the city got caught flat-footed trying to keep up.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026
Tab jumped experimentally, landing with flat-footed thuds on the stage.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
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.
