wrong-foot

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wrong-foot

verb wrong-foots · wrong-footing · wrong-footed · wrong foot · wrongfoot

To cause a competitor to move or put weight on the wrong foot, as by making an unexpected move. Johnson hesitated with his back to goal and was dispossessed by Mulumbu, who instantly played Odemwingie through on goal. The Nigerian kept his composure to wrong-foot Reina.
transitive To play the ball in an unexpected direction, forcing (the opponent) to change direction suddenly.
broadly, transitive To catch (someone) off balance, off guard; to surprise. The Swedish academy had defied bookies’ predictions and wrongfooted critics too many times in the past, and if there was one consensus in the run-up, it was that the prize would not go to Europe, where six of the last ten winners had come from.
broadly, transitive To place (someone) at a tactical disadvantage.

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MLA

"wrong-foot." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wrong-foot. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

wrong-foot. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wrong-foot

Chicago

"wrong-foot." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wrong-foot.

BibTeX

@misc{wrong_foot_2026,
  title = {wrong-foot},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wrong-foot},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}