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

Now, 28 years after Hašek backstopped a squad of underdogs to Olympic gold,​​ Dostál hopes to do the same. —Jesse Granger, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026

The Seahawks were underdogs going into the game. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026

An underdog with a bite Faulkner was once a quarterback standing 5-foot-nothing with a 10-cent arm but a million-dollar head with a brain like a sponge. —Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026

Additionally, the Caifornia governor took a swipe at POTUS pal Kid Rock‘s career woes and the conservative alternative halftime show planned for the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and underdogs the New England Patriots. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Feb. 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