as in unprepared
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Recent Examples of flat-footed
The United States isn’t alone in being caught flat-footed.
—
Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 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
Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 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
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The election took place amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
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Peter isn’t just unprepared to care for a child; the idea of children is almost alien to him.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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The drawdowns have left the US underprepared for potential conflict with Russia or China; in particular, replacing stockpiles of air-defense missiles — critical to supporting Taiwan should China invade — could take six years, The Wall Street Journal reported.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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As a result, too many students with learning differences spend their school years being underestimated, undertaught, and ultimately underprepared.—
Sherri Helvie,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Andrews has gone viral multiple times for demystifying how ballroom dancers get ready, and, more specifically, unready.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
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If Orion is deemed unready for the TLI burn, Artemis 2 will get no farther than Earth orbit.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flat-footed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flat-footed. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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