underdog
noun
\
Definition of underdog
1 : a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest
2 : a victim of injustice or persecution
Examples of underdog in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Louisville City hasn't often been an underdog; the club reached at least the Eastern Conference finals in each of its first three seasons, culminating in a USL Cup title last fall. — Danielle Lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville City FC's latest Open Cup win signals a bright future," 6 June 2018 Photo: toby melville/Reuters Rodina was an underdog under all circumstances. — Tom Perrotta, WSJ, "At Wimbledon, Serena Is the Last American Woman Standing," 6 July 2018 And Belgium gets to be the underdog again, a status that Martínez revels in. — Tariq Panja, New York Times, "World Cup 2018: Belgium Shocks Japan With Stunning Rally," 4 July 2018 Bayside will be the underdog because League City American just defeated Seabrook’s boys in a nine-inning thriller earlier this week. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Bayside 11s defeat Texas City 12-11 to clinch berth in District 14 title contest," 28 June 2018 But after an odd 24-2 win in the wild card game, New York traveled to Green Bay and was an eight-point underdog in a divisional-round meeting with the 15-1 Packers. — Chris Chase, For The Win, "15 most surprising finalists in sports history," 28 May 2018 To say King is an underdog in the race is an understatement. — Gray Rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Chris King shakes up Democratic primary in governor race," 22 May 2018 Most political experts, and even many Republicans, agree whoever the GOP nominated would be an underdog to Brown. — Scott Wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio U.S. Senate race: Should Renacci's primary showing worry Republicans?," 11 May 2018 No matter whom Miami draws, and even with all of the first-round possibilities except Toronto weakened in some way, the Heat still is the big underdog at least in perception. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "Of the four teams the Heat might face in the playoffs, fans should hope it isn’t this one | Miami Herald," 5 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'underdog.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about underdog
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
10 Nicknames for Important People
10 Nicknames for Important People
Big wigs, big enchiladas, and big shots
Dictionary Entries near underdog
Statistics for underdog
Last Updated
9 Sep 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for underdog
The first known use of underdog was in 1859
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for underdog
underdog
noun
English Language Learners Definition of underdog
: a person, team, etc., that is expected to lose a contest or battle
: a less powerful person or thing that struggles against a more powerful person or thing (such as a corporation)
See the full definition for underdog in the English Language Learners Dictionary
underdog
noun
\
Kids Definition of underdog
: a person or team thought to have little chance of winning (as an election or a game)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on underdog
What made you want to look up underdog? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Musical Words Quiz
-
- Which word describes a musical performance marked by the absence of instrumental accompaniment?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share underdog
Resources for underdog