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.
Wood dictated the tempo across 12 rounds against a frustrated, flat-footed Warrington.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
Rodriguez said the city is often left flat-footed when encampments pop up on hillsides and property owners don’t help address the issue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 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
Caught flat-footed by the success of that video app, then owned by ByteDance, Instagram launched Reels in August 2020.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
But somehow, after throwing a fit in the starting gate and being left flat-footed at the bell, the colt won his race that day.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
