flat-footed

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.

But her flat-footed handling of the huge fires that tore through the city in January 2025 left her in trouble.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Wood dictated the tempo across 12 rounds against a frustrated, flat-footed Warrington.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

They were flat and flat-footed from the beginning, surrendering a 75-yard touchdown pass on Houston’s first possession and a 43-yard touchdown pass on the second.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2025

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

After that she didn't play around with the soldiers any more but only with a few flat-footed, short-sighted young men in town who couldn't get into the army at all.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald