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 result is the ultimate underdog story behind the legendary underdog film. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, Coyote will hit theaters at last as a true underdog, with attendance fueled by an unprecedented fan campaign. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Villa go in as considerable underdogs — 7/2 to win in normal time and 2/1 to lift the trophy — and pulling it off would represent another big result in what has already been a landmark year for the club. — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Berge ran an underdog, insurgent campaign against Cooke, who was more well-known and better financed. — Scott Bauer, Fortune, 11 Aug. 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