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Synonyms

flat-footed

British  
/ ˌflætˈfʊtɪd /

adjective

  1. having flatfoot

  2. informal

    1. clumsy or awkward

    2. downright and uncompromising

  3. informal off guard or unawares (often in the phrase catch flat-footed )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
flat-footed Idioms  

  1. see caught flat-footed.

Other Word Forms

  • flat-footedly adverb
  • flat-footedness noun

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.

Still, when ChatGPT arrived in late 2022, Amazon was caught flat-footed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 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

The startup was caught flat-footed after the viral release of ChatGPT, which gave OpenAI a giant user base and a lengthy head start on sales.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025

Reform UK sources admitted the party was caught a bit flat-footed here and elsewhere as many of its new councillors got the grips with their new jobs in the weeks following the local elections.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

He was short and old, with a white mustache and walked flat-footed with a cane.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

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.