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 Americans are underdogs with attitude, a team capable of winning, but failure will not define them like, say, a Super Bowl. —Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026

Talarico Positions Himself as Underdog Speaking last week at the University of North Texas in Denton before hundreds of supporters, Talarico cast himself as the underdog in the race. —Jack Fink, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026

Hockey, a sport that most Americans don’t completely understand and only a few have actually played, bonded a nation because for all of our money and our might, this is a game where Team USA is often the underdog. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2026

Not an underdog story for all times. —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 22 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