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
- 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.
Wood dictated the tempo across 12 rounds against a frustrated, flat-footed Warrington.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
“And the city got caught flat-footed trying to keep up.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026
With Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk flat-footed, Wilson scampered onto the through ball and planted a composed finish past Alisson Becker.
From Barron's • Jan. 4, 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
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.
