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

Maybe because his whole life, he's been an underdog. —Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026

Moving to Nashville during the 2010s gave him the chance to support the industry’s underdogs. —Robert Crawford, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2026

Saturday’s event comprises Rounds 4-7 and serves as origin stories for underdogs to come. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026

This weekend’s fixtures have dominant new-age winners take on long-time underdogs. —Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 24 Apr. 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