underdog

noun

un·der·dog | \ ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg

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

I always root for the underdog instead of the favorite. As a lawyer, she consistently represented the underdog.

Recent Examples on the Web

Whoever wins the Maryland primary will enter the general election as an underdog against Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who ranks among the nation’s most popular governors despite overseeing a Democratic state. — Reid J. Epstein, WSJ, "Primary Themes: A Bush Cousin, the Bernie Sanders Effect, Talking Like Trump," 26 June 2018 Despite a compelling personal story that showed her as an underdog, Breed was the favorite of the business and political establishment communities going into the contest. — Washington Post, "London Breed in position to be San Francisco’s next mayor," 13 June 2018 Miami was always seen as an underdog for Amazon’s headquarters, given its thin roster of heavy corporate hitters, lack of a tech-savvy workforce and low marks on certain urban perks, like a vibrant transit system. — Douglas Hanks, miamiherald, "Losing Amazon HQ2 headquarters could still be a win for Miami | Miami Herald," 19 Jan. 2018 Neither film got the kind of massive marketing push usually expected from major awards contenders (even Get Out, this year's awards underdog, played the game in that respect). — refinery29.com, "Steven Spielberg Has Got Netflix Movies All Wrong — But So Does Netflix," 27 Mar. 2018 Gaga has been characterized as an underdog, a Hollywood newcomer, for her breakout role in A Star Is Born (despite being a global superstar and winning a Golden Globe for acting in 2015). — Kyndall Cunningham, Glamour, "The Oscar Race Is All About Gaga vs. Glenn—But What About Women of Color?," 22 Jan. 2019 In recent years, a debate has raged through the internet’s culinary quarters, pitting pumpkin purists against backers of the pie-world’s underdog filling. — Robert Mcmillan, WSJ, "Your Pumpkin Pie Has a Dark Secret— It’s Made From Squash," 20 Nov. 2018 The musical high school dramedy teetered between an after-school special on acid and a heartwarming celebration of the underdog. — refinery29.com, "The Hallmarks Of A Ryan Murphy Show," 4 June 2018 But Sanchez embraced the role of underdog and tapped into the anger of rank-and-file members who felt that he had been unfairly dumped by the party elite. — Joseph Wilson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Spain's new leader Pedro Sanchez promises an end to corruption," 1 June 2018

These 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.