flatfoot

noun

flat·​foot

(always so in sense 3)

ˈflat-ˌfu̇t 

ˌflat-ˈfu̇t

plural flatfeet ˈflat-ˌfēt 

ˌflat-ˈfēt

1

: a condition in which the arch of the instep is flattened so that the entire sole rests upon the ground

2

: a foot affected with flatfoot

3

a

or plural flatfoots, slang : police officer

especially : a patrolman walking a regular beat

b

slang : sailor

Did you know?

In 1899 the police officers of Akron, Ohio, climbed aboard the first police car (a patrol wagon powered by an electric motor). In that same year the noun flatty was first used in print with the meaning "police officer." Mere coincidence? Maybe, but consider that quite a few similar words have been used over the years to distinguish pedestrian officers from mobile ones, including flat, flat arch, flathead, flatter, and flatfoot. Other notable (and more comic) descriptors are pavement pounder and sidewalk snail. Flatfoot dates its "police officer" sense from 1913. It is especially used of those footing it to keep our cities safe, but it can also refer to police in general.

Synonyms

• bobby [British]
• bull [slang]
• constable [chiefly British]
• cop
• copper
• fuzz
• gendarme
• lawman
• officer
• police officer
• policeman
• shamus [slang]

Examples of flatfoot in a Sentence

a comic strip about a square-jawed, trench-coated flatfoot who always caught the crooks in suitably dramatic fashion

Recent Examples on the Web

Osteotomy: Cutting and shifting bones to change the shape of a flexible flatfoot. —Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 16 Sep. 2024

There was clogging, stomping and flatfoot dancing; the Dutch and English square-dancing with the Africans and the Irish. —Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2021

Overture on harmonica while flatfoot dancing and twirling a rope. —Laurel Graeber, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

flatfoot

noun

flat·​foot -ˌfu̇t 

-ˈfu̇t

plural flatfeet -ˌfēt 

-ˈfēt

1

: a condition in which the main arch of the foot is so flattened that the entire sole rests upon the ground

2

: a foot affected with flatfoot

flat-footed

-ˌfu̇t-əd

-ˈfu̇t-əd

adjective

Medical Definition

flatfoot

noun

flat·​foot -ˈfu̇t, -ˌfu̇t 

plural flatfeet -ˈfēt, -ˌfēt 

1

: a condition in which the arch of the instep is flattened so that the entire sole rests upon the ground

2

: a foot affected with flatfoot