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

Goalkeeper Josimar Dias — best known by his nickname, Vozinha — and his Cape Verde teammates were monumental underdogs against the Spaniards. —Bailey Johnson, Washington Post, 15 June 2026

As mentioned, Spain (a top team led by a teenager) takes on Cape Verde (an ultimate underdog) at noon today at the venue temporarily known as Atlanta Stadium. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 15 June 2026

Despite being the undoubted underdog, the African side shouldn’t be totally discounted. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 15 June 2026

The Knicks are underdogs again — already. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 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