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 The film dramatizes the true story of an underdog Little League team from Fort Worth, the Westside All-Stars, who rallied behind the terminally ill parent of one of its players to reach the league’s World Series in 2002. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 25 June 2024 The consonant-ridden name and eerie, 1990s-esque op-art logo recall its underdog, start-up roots rather than its current reality: a behemoth cornering the AI chips market. Alena Botros, Fortune, 21 June 2024 Entering the group stages ranked 18th in the ICC men’s rankings, the team embraced the underdog mentality against some of the world’s best. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024 The Celtics, who’ll enter tonight’s game as 1-point underdogs, haven’t lost a game on the road since the playoffs began. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for underdog 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'underdog.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of underdog was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near underdog

Cite this Entry

“Underdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underdog. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

underdog

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