as in unprepared
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Recent Examples of flat-footed
There was a sense that the Times had been caught flat-footed by Trump’s victory; the Opinion editors wanted to expand their offerings of conservative voices.
—
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
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
But the person also predicted that some of crypto’s allies in Washington could be caught flat-footed by the banking ramp-up.
—Rachel Witkowski, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Interestingly the Milei administration appeared to have been caught flat-footed by the news.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-footed
Clare Malone, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
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
But the person also predicted that some of crypto’s allies in Washington could be caught flat-footed by the banking ramp-up.
—Rachel Witkowski, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Interestingly the Milei administration appeared to have been caught flat-footed by the news.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flat-footed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flat-footed
Adjective
-
Senate Bill 2019 would allow private school teachers without a college degree to obtain a temporary public school teaching waiver, a move one national teacher quality organization said could lead to unprepared teachers.—
Melissa Brown,
Chalkbeat,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Yet these women rarely went unprepared.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The focus of a recent faculty report seems to be more on measuring just how underprepared students are rather than examining what the campus can do to serve them.—
Tammi Marshall,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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When e-bikes first expanded into backcountry areas, critics warned motorized assistance would bring underprepared users into fragile environments.—
Kendall Hunter,
Outside,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Using an unhealthy or unready starter can lead to a weak rise, a dense crumb, a flat loaf, or off flavors.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
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The Angels acquired him with apparent intent to play him regularly, and there’s limited competition from flawed or unready internal options (Nelson Rada, Bryce Teodosio, Matthew Lugo).—
Derek VanRiper,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flat-footed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flat-footed. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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