underdog

American  

[uhn-der-dawg, -dog] / ˈʌn dərˌdɔg, -ˌdɒg /

noun

• underdogs
  plural

1. a person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.

2. a victim of social or political injustice.

   The underdogs were beginning to organize their protests.

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underdog British  

/ ˈʌndəˌdɒɡ /

noun

1. the competitor least likely to win a fight or contest

2. a person in adversity or in a position of inferiority

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• underdogs
  plural

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!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

underdog underdogs

He floundered as the Wolverines barely beat Western Michigan, the underdog, in the season opener, then looked stronger in a win Saturday against No. 11 Oklahoma.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

What follows is a modern picaresque journey, in which a clever underdog has to rely on her wit and wiles to survive a corrupt and perilous world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

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

Did having Arnold as understudy make Froelich feel like an underdog?

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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

Having so recently been one of the underdogs of the savannah, we are full of fears and anxieties over our position, which makes us doubly cruel and dangerous.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• dark horse
• longshot