Meaning & use
front-footed
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparableinformalfigurative
Acting with confidence and taking the initiative rather than waiting to react to others.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a front-footed approach; the team was front-footed from the start.
Patterns
- a front-footed approach
- a front-footed response to something
- be front-footed about something
The new manager took a front-footed approach and contacted every customer personally.
Instead of waiting for criticism, she was front-footed and published the results herself.
Their front-footed response to the crisis impressed the investors.
adjectivenot comparabletechnicalsport
In cricket and similar sports, batting or playing with the weight on the front foot, close to the ball.
Grammar: A technical sporting description; it can come before a noun or after a verb: a front-footed stance; he stayed front-footed.
Patterns
- a front-footed stance
- stay front-footed
- play front-footed
The coach told him to stay front-footed against the spinners.
Her front-footed technique works well on slow pitches but leaves her exposed to short balls.
Common combinations
- a front-footed approach
- They won the contract with a front-footed approach to the negotiations.
- a front-footed response
- The company's front-footed response to the complaint won back the customer.
- front-footed batting
- His front-footed batting is exciting to watch on a dry pitch.
- stay front-footed
- You need to stay front-footed when the bowler is slow.
- be front-footed about something
- She was front-footed about the delays and told everyone early.
Synonyms and how they differ
- proactive
- Neutral and more formal; it describes taking action in advance rather than the confident, attacking attitude suggested by front-footed.
- assertive
- Focuses on speaking and behaving firmly; front-footed is more about seizing the initiative in general.
- aggressive
- Stronger and often negative; front-footed usually sounds positive or neutral.
Opposites
Word family
- front foot noun
- The foot you put forward, or the attacking position in sport from which the adjective comes.
- on the front foot phrase
- The common phrase meaning in an attacking or confident position.
- back-footed adjective
- The opposite: forced to react and defend.
Commonly confused: front-footed or flat-footed? front-footed or sure-footed?
front-footed vs flat-footed
Means having flat feet or, informally, being slow to react; front-footed is about taking the initiative, not about the shape of your feet.
front-footed vs sure-footed
Means steady and unlikely to make mistakes; front-footed is about being bold and forward-moving.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'front-footed' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Front-footed' describes a confident, attacking attitude, so 'was front-footed and scored' fits. Option 1 wrongly uses it as a passive verb of being affected, and options 2 and 3 treat it as an action verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “front-footed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.