underdog
Americannoun
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underdogs
plural
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a person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.
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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:
In fact, some of the internet artists making Coyote and Road Runner material are doing it as grassroots advocacy for the film—which itself is something of an underdog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 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
And Howell is Huckleberry, likable underdog and farm boy charmer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Seeing the underdog get away — that’s a pretty timeworn story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Painting a picture that justifies her opinion of him—an underdog cursed with an ungrateful son upon whom he has showered love and concern, only to be infamously treated by that son in return.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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
Western Michigan kicker Dieter Kelly scored all 12 of the Broncos’ points as the 27.5-point underdogs nearly upset No. 16 Michigan before losing 13-12 on a Hail Mary touchdown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Jewish people have been the underdogs so often that they understand what it’s like to be an underdog.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Definitions 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.
