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

The bar then placed a $5,000 bet on Kalshi that the then-underdog Knicks would win, and a $13,500 payout meant the bar not only paid off its patrons’ tabs, but also reaped a $8,500 profit. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Seeing the social media reaction to Murphy's absurdist comments, the answer to that is, of course, no because underdog narratives, no matter how fake, are still immensely popular. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

But the Hoosiers haven't beaten Ohio State in Bloomington since 1987 and are 3 1/2-point underdogs at home. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

The return of Jayden Daniels helps open lanes, but game script could be a problem Monday night with Washington more than a touchdown underdog. — Dalton Del Don, New York Times, 15 Oct. 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