flat-footed

1 of 2

adjective

flat-foot·​ed ˈflat-ˌfu̇-təd 

ˌflat-ˈfu̇-

1

: affected with flat foot

broadly : walking with a dragging or shambling gait

2

a

: firm and well balanced on the feet

b

: free from reservation : forthright

had an honest flat-footed way of saying a thing

3

: not ready : unprepared

—used chiefly in the phrase catch flat-footed

The company was caught flat-footed by the pace of changes in the industry.

4

: proceeding in a plodding or unimaginative way : pedestrian

flat-footed prose

flat-footedly adverb

flat-footedness noun

flat-footed

2 of 2

adverb

1

: in an open and determined manner : flatly

2

: with the feet flat on a surface (such as the ground)

Examples of flat-footed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Defenseman Sam Dickinson, playing in his second career NHL game, was caught out of position or flat-footed a couple of times on two Hurricanes goals. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025

The Rangers had some early success using it to clog the middle of the ice, but too often got caught flat-footed and were left vulnerable to odd-man rushes. —Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Adverb

In his best days, Flowers was used on the edge, where his speed and strength would often catch tackles by surprise and leave them flat-footed in their backpedal. —Jim McBride, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023

The furor around the chatbot has also stoked interest in new startups building or using similar AI technology and has left some companies feeling flat-footed. —Will Knight, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flat-footed

• barefooted
• inputted
• footed

Medical Definition

flat-footed

adjective

flat-foot·​ed -ˈfu̇t-əd 

: affected with flatfoot

broadly : walking with a dragging or shambling gait

flat-footedly adverb

flat-footedness noun