underdog
noun
un·der·dog
ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 
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
Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund were hoping to thwart Paris Saint-Germain’s and Barcelona’s charge for the Champions League trophy last week, but neither team were able to spin the underdog trope successfully.
—
Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
These two underdog teams now face for the title, though.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
Houston and Florida play for title and put a different spin on the underdog role to wrap the NCAA Tournament
UConn returns to top of women’s basketball, dominates South Carolina 82-59 to capture its 12th NCAA title
Tomislav Ivišić will return to Illinois — and be joined by twin Zvonimir.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
Before Clint enters a back-room poker game in the store where the enforcer needs to shake down one of the players, Hank runs down the top five underdog movies of all time.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underdog
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Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
These two underdog teams now face for the title, though.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Apr. 2025
Houston and Florida play for title and put a different spin on the underdog role to wrap the NCAA Tournament
UConn returns to top of women’s basketball, dominates South Carolina 82-59 to capture its 12th NCAA title
Tomislav Ivišić will return to Illinois — and be joined by twin Zvonimir.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025
Before Clint enters a back-room poker game in the store where the enforcer needs to shake down one of the players, Hank runs down the top five underdog movies of all time.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underdog
Cite this Entry
“Underdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underdog. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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underdog
noun
un·der·dog
ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg
: the loser or predicted loser in a struggle
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