How to Use flat-footed in a Sentence

flat-footed

adjective
  • The event caught police flat-footed as the crowd grew into the hundreds.
    Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
  • One key problem: Squats, deadlifts, and the like require to stand flat-footed and stable on the ground.
    Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Labor appeared to be caught flat-footed when Chavez didn’t make the final cut.
    Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2024
  • Yet not everyone was caught flat-footed by the Hamas assault.
    Garry Kasparov, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Women tend to have stronger quadriceps relative to their hamstrings, and to land more flat-footed and with stiffer knees.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2023
  • Were that to happen, Republicans cannot be caught flat-footed once again on the issue of health care.
    The Editors, National Review, 4 Dec. 2023
  • Having seen their 17-point lead reduced to just two in the fourth quarter, LeBron James made sure the offense would be flat-footed no more.
    Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
  • In the initial hours after its win over Kentucky, St. Peter’s was caught flat-footed.
    Santul Nerkar, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The biggest reason: They were caught flat-footed as interest rates swiftly jumped over the past year.
    Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2023
  • Plus, as someone with high arches, taking on a flat-footed shoe sounded painful at best.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2023
  • Yet the Bulls came out flat-footed, allowing the Hawks to throw a 36-point punch in the first quarter and establish a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2023
  • There is no point in being caught flat-footed when an eager buyer comes knocking.
    Gerry Spitzer, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
  • Yet, like town officials, school officials say they have been caught flat-footed.
    Samantha J. Gross, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Be careful about withdrawing retirement funds If a job loss leaves you flat-footed, you may be tempted to raid your 401(k) or IRA for fast cash.
    Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Has outstanding instincts and was rarely (if ever) caught flat-footed ...
    Jim McBride, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023
  • Left fielder Masataka Yoshida caught the ball flat-footed after drifting to his left, leaving little chance for a play at the plate.
    Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Jones plays with a lane-jumping mentality in off coverage when flat-footed but could succumb to double moves in the pros.
    Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Apr. 2023
  • But the strategy employed by the lawmakers in recent weeks caught TikTok flat-footed.
    Cecilia Kang, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
  • Yet she was caught flat-footed once interest rates began rising.
    Vicky Ge Huang, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023
  • She’s become flat-footed, broken the patriarchy and all zen has been restored in Barbieland.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Aug. 2023
  • By that point the Avalanche had the Kraken looking flat-footed and as out of it as their quietened home fans, who’d started the game on a raucous note only to fade fast as the Avalanche’s dominance became apparent.
    Geoff Baker, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Apr. 2023
  • Style with a pair of comfortable heels, sneakers, or Birkenstocks (just like flat-footed Barbie) to complete a look worthy of a sunny day in Barbieland.
    Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2023
  • It should be noted that Rafael Devers, standing flat-footed and playing spectator, was slow to break to third base for what seemingly would have been a tough throw for Casas to make at a moving target.
    Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 25 June 2023
  • Parents have been caught flat-footed partly because the dealers are so good at connecting their product with their young consumers on social media.
    Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Garcia reverted to his old habits of standing flat-footed and jerking his head straight back, offering Duarte a welcoming target.
    Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2023
  • The conversation on computers and automation has changed lately, and Apple, which was caught flat-footed last year with the proliferation of AI, just stepped right on the rake.
    Alex Cranz, The Verge, 8 May 2024
  • During the pandemic, the global automotive market passed a milestone that caught the world’s major automakers flat-footed.
    Ben Dooley, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Presented with a chance to claim a third straight series win against a second-division team, the Red Sox nonetheless lumbered flat-footed through most of Thursday afternoon’s contest against the Nationals.
    BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2023
  • Some are designed for flat-footed people, some offer more support for higher arches, some are designed to handle wet environments, and some are suited for dry land only.
    Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 13 May 2023
  • To one degree or another, these banks were caught flat-footed when the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in response to high inflation starting in mid-2022.
    Politifact Staff Writer, Dallas News, 5 May 2023

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

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