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

The love comes from the opportunity for Mirabal to show the Hurricanes still have talent along the offensive line despite losing a lot of key players and for that group to potentially be viewed as an underdog in the process. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

The season’s quintessential favorite of Aperol meets the seasonal underdog spirit of bourbon to showcase its star power in aperitivo culture. — Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Here in New York, Brunson holds sway as captain of the team that brought the town to its first NBA championship in 53 years, in an underdog story that enveloped the city in frenzied fandom. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026

To be the greatest rider ever, there are going to be a lot of days where the underdog does not win. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 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