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.
Unable to trap West Ham with a high press, United were caught flat-footed by an incisive break.
From Barron's
“And the city got caught flat-footed trying to keep up.”
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
Caught flat-footed, Google declared its own “code red” that year as it raced to catch up.
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 Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.