underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 

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

Zhang, the former strawweight champ was the -140 betting favorite over Shevchenko, who opened as the +120 underdog. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025

The poem presents the Trojans, and the future Romans of Virgil’s own time, as both the underdogs and the oppressors, both the migrants and the colonizers, both the wretched refugees and the imperial overlords. —Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

The Wildcats were 28-point underdogs to the Irish. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025

As of this report, BetUS has John Cena at -700 odds to win his match against Logan Paul, who is a +400 underdog for the event. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Aug. 2025

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