flatfoot

noun

flat·foot

(always so in sense 3)

ˈflat-ˌfu̇t

ˌflat-ˈfu̇t

plural flatfeet ˈflat-ˌfēt

ˌflat-ˈfēt

Synonyms of flatfoot next

: a condition in which the arch of the instep is flattened so that the entire sole rests upon the ground

: a foot affected with flatfoot

or plural flatfoots, slang : police officer

especially : a patrolman walking a regular beat

slang : sailor

Did you know?

In 1899 the police officers of Akron, Ohio, climbed aboard the first police car (a patrol wagon powered by an electric motor). In that same year the noun flatty was first used in print with the meaning "police officer." Mere coincidence? Maybe, but consider that quite a few similar words have been used over the years to distinguish pedestrian officers from mobile ones, including flat, flat arch, flathead, flatter, and flatfoot. Other notable (and more comic) descriptors are pavement pounder and sidewalk snail. Flatfoot dates its "police officer" sense from 1913. It is especially used of those footing it to keep our cities safe, but it can also refer to police in general.

Example Sentences

a comic strip about a square-jawed, trench-coated flatfoot who always caught the crooks in suitably dramatic fashion

Recent Examples on the Web There was clogging, stomping and flatfoot dancing; the Dutch and English square-dancing with the Africans and the Irish. —

Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2021 Overture on harmonica while flatfoot dancing and twirling a rope. —

Laurel Graeber, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flatfoot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.