underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 

1

: a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest

… the biggest obstacle has been the adjustment from underdog last season to contender …

—Mike Wise

2

: a victim of injustice or persecution

… portrayed himself as an honest underdog that the Government would do anything to stop.

—Michael Specter

Examples of underdog in a Sentence

I always root for the underdog instead of the favorite.

As a lawyer, she consistently represented the underdog.

Recent Examples on the Web

Boston’s perimeter shooting took longer to develop, which helped the underdog Wizards hang around through the opening quarter. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 15 Mar. 2026

Jayson Tatum defied reasonable expectations to return from a torn Achilles in under a year and have vaulted the Celtics from fun underdog story to bonafide title contenders. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026

This is Team Italy, the unlikely underdog of the World Baseball Classic, whose celebrations and gioia di vivere have charmed baseball fans far beyond the shores of the Mediterranean. —Becky Sullivan, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026

Not exactly an underdog, Kimball wasn’t necessarily the favorite to win it all this year. —Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for underdog

• analog
• analogue
• catalogue
• decalogue
• demagogue
• dialogue
• epilogue
• homologue
• monologue
• pedagogue
• synagogue
• tagalog

Kids Definition

underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 

: the loser or predicted loser in a struggle