underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg How to pronounce underdog (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That two of those three horror titles were based on original material bodes well for a genre perpetually seen as an underdog both critically and commercially. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 10 Aug. 2025 India's 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh entered this year's event in Georgia as an underdog. Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 5 Aug. 2025 Johnson qualifies as an underdog given his wild-card status and his lack of tournament experience. Daniel Brown, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025 On Wednesday, July 30, the first trailer debuted, highlighting the action-comedy's underdog story set in a world of talking animals. Sharareh Drury, People.com, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for underdog

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of underdog was in 1859

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Underdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underdog. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

underdog

noun
un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg How to pronounce underdog (audio)
: the loser or predicted loser in a struggle

More from Merriam-Webster on underdog

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!