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

And that’s a dangerous quality for a team like the Panthers to have — underdogs, but at home. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Jan. 2026

The early betting odds suggest the Canes will be an underdog to each, by around 5 1/2 points to the Hoosiers and 1 1/2 to the Ducks. —Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026

Two offseasons ago, when Notre Dame was rounding out the roster that helped the Irish make a run to the national championship game, Indiana under Cignetti was more of an underdog story than a college football gate-crasher. —Pete Sampson, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

Several underdogs could pull upsets this weekend. —Neil Greenberg, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 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