wrong-foot
verb
wrong-footed; wrong-footing; wrong-foots
chiefly British
: to cause (someone, such as an opponent in soccer or tennis) to lean into or step with the wrong foot
broadly
: to disrupt the equilibrium of
… a speed and flexibility that repeatedly wrong-footed his enemies. —
Anthony Lloyd
Anthony Lloyd Examples of wrong-foot in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Running on to a Bernardo Silva pass, Cherki shapes to cross the ball with his right foot, chops back onto his left and then transfers it to his right again, wrong-footing Alderete (that’s being polite).
—Stuart James, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Investors wary of being wrong-footed by twists and turns in the Iran war are trading stocks at a record intensity, one market measure shows.
—Joel Leon, Bloomberg, 7 Apr. 2026
Williams, unfortunately, is so wrong-footed by the requirements of the period’s rhythms that her first heavily accented appearance, in a dockside saloon, is her most unsteady.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Determined to wrong-foot her handler, Zosia (Karolina Wydra), Carol asks for a grenade and receives one, to explosive effect.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 28 Nov. 2025
This one is twice as good in slow motion because of how thoroughly Jokic wrong-foots Lopez, a generational defender who was roaming the back line for Milwaukee.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2025
And Alex is very good at wrong-footing people.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Castle, in fact, has become one of the league’s heaviest practitioners of the Euro stop, routinely pausing mid-move to wrong-foot defenders.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Inflation, for one, quickened more than anticipated in May, with a gauge of underlying trends also wrong-footing analysts by edging higher.
—Rachel Ventresca, Fortune Europe, 6 June 2024
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Stuart James, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Investors wary of being wrong-footed by twists and turns in the Iran war are trading stocks at a record intensity, one market measure shows.
—Joel Leon, Bloomberg, 7 Apr. 2026
Williams, unfortunately, is so wrong-footed by the requirements of the period’s rhythms that her first heavily accented appearance, in a dockside saloon, is her most unsteady.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Determined to wrong-foot her handler, Zosia (Karolina Wydra), Carol asks for a grenade and receives one, to explosive effect.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 28 Nov. 2025
This one is twice as good in slow motion because of how thoroughly Jokic wrong-foots Lopez, a generational defender who was roaming the back line for Milwaukee.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2025
And Alex is very good at wrong-footing people.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Castle, in fact, has become one of the league’s heaviest practitioners of the Euro stop, routinely pausing mid-move to wrong-foot defenders.
—John Hollinger, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Inflation, for one, quickened more than anticipated in May, with a gauge of underlying trends also wrong-footing analysts by edging higher.
—Rachel Ventresca, Fortune Europe, 6 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Wrong-foot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrong-foot. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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