Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
😲 To shock suddenly 🥊 To attack unexpectedly
to blindside

to blindside

9 6.8
To attack someone from the side they cannot see or expect
  • verb
  • /ˈblaɪndˌsaɪd/
translation icon : atacar por sorpresa
  • Just as Greer is upon her, Murphy blindsides Greer from behind at full speed, knocking him down.
  • try to blindside
  • got blindsided
  • blindsided from behind

Well, I'm a big believer that if you're not aware of what your Achilles heel is, then you won't see the attack coming and you'll get, you'll end up being caught blindsided.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • It looks like they're going to try to blindside you.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • My, uh, my first NFL game, I got blindsided by Warren Sapp.

    Blue Crush (2002)

  • Makes a lot of sense the perp would blindside him.

    Chain Letter (2010)

  • Hey, he got blindsided just like the rest of us, all right?

    National Champions (2021)

  • Number 17 is blindsided by an illegal hit.

    Crooked Arrows (2012)

  • You have to keep your eye on the ball because otherwise you're going to get blindsided.

    Blog text (19)

  • They won't sneak up behind me and blindside me.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • President Obama made a conscious decision to blindside Netanyahu with a shift in policy in a major address on the day before the Israeli premier's arrival in Washington.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The Saturn was blindsided by a Ford F-150 truck, which was traveling eastbound on Southfront Road, Santin said.

    Blog text (17)

  • The unexpected news about her promotion completely blindsided him during their meeting.

Synonyms

to ambush
vsto blindside
133 5.2

To attack a person or animal by hiding and surprising them

targets someone from the obstructed side rather than any hidden spot
to surprise
vsto blindside
111 4.5

To attack someone suddenly to catch them off guard

adds the side element where view is blocked rather than general sudden attack
to flank
vsto blindside
60 5.0

To move to the side of something, often to gain an advantage

attacks from the obstructed side rather than merely moving alongside
to sideswipe
vsto blindside
8 6.1

To hit something from the side while moving past it

adds surprise by attacking where the view is blocked
to bushwhack
vsto blindside
  • Informal
2 9.0

To attack someone suddenly from a hidden place

attacks from the obstructed side rather than any concealed spot

Antonyms

to warn
∞ 1.0

Tell someone about possible danger so they can be careful

to defend
∞ 1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

How Surprising

ambush
130 5.5
to blindside
9 6.8
to startle
131 3.7
to surprise
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

blindside infinitive
blindsided past
blindsided past participle
blindsiding present participle
blindsides third person singular

Morphology

blindside = blind + side (semi-transparent) = blind + side

While the components 'blind' and 'side' are clear, the specific meaning of 'attack or surprise from an unprepared side' is not a direct derivation.

Etymology

Blindside comes from the parts blind ('not able to see') and side ('the left or right part'). It originally meant being hit from the side you cannot see, so to blindside someone is to attack or hit them when they are unprepared.