underdog
Americannoun
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underdogs
plural
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a person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.
-
a victim of social or political injustice.
The underdogs were beginning to organize their protests.
noun
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the competitor least likely to win a fight or contest
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a person in adversity or in a position of inferiority
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of underdog
1875–80, under- + dog ( def. )
Explanation
An underdog is someone who isn't likely to win a competition or contest. When a professional basketball player faces off against a high school student who's a foot shorter, the high schooler is the underdog. Anyone at a disadvantage, whether in general or in a particular situation, can be called an underdog. In sports, it's common to call the team that's expected to lose in a game the underdog. This word was originally used in dogfighting around 1887, to refer to a dog defeated in a fight. A 1960s cartoon character named Underdog was an unlikely (and under-qualified) superhero dog. The show's tagline was "There's no need to fear! Underdog is here!"
Vocabulary lists containing underdog
Idioms and Expressions, List 1
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Academy Awards, List 2
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My Brother Sam is Dead
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is unfortunate, too, in the sense that the Brewers are not some plucky underdog but the team that won the most games in the NL this year and last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
This is an underdog story worthy of Rocky, the boxer portrayed by Sylvester Stallone in the film franchise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
He is still an underdog against Garcia - a fighter with greater amateur pedigree and a more accomplished professional resume - but Benn's size and physical pressure could become one of his biggest advantages.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Polanski said the Greens "might be the underdog in this election but we have the momentum and we can win".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
War Admiral was the heavy favorite in the betting, but reporters mingling in the crowd found that most racegoers were rooting for the underdog.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
"I think naturally we are definite underdogs," Boulter, the current world number 54, told BBC Sport.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Charles Lemonides of ValueWorks presented three stocks of underdogs he favors against larger competitors.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
And in the other corner, the mighty underdogs: Nathan Fielder and some guy from YouTube.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
The documentary also follows the labour movement's latest underdogs -- riders for delivery apps like GrubHub and DoorDash -- who remain largely invisible.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
And it sure seemed to me that screechers had always been the underdogs in nature’s plan.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
