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
While my colleague, pop music critic Mikael Wood, has handicapped his favorites and underdogs for the 67th edition of the awards show, perhaps his more ambitious project was to rank all 66 songs that previously won record the year.
—
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025
Despite the New York Jets' stunning AFL-validating win a year earlier in Super Bowl III, the Chiefs were huge underdogs going into Super Bowl IV against the NFL representative, the Minnesota Vikings.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
Still the monologue had a sincere tone overall; Chalamet, rather than seeming like a sore loser, cannily presented himself as an underdog.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2025
The Commanders are six-point road underdogs at BetMGM against the Philadelphia Eagles.
—Ben Fawkes, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for underdog 
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Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025
Despite the New York Jets' stunning AFL-validating win a year earlier in Super Bowl III, the Chiefs were huge underdogs going into Super Bowl IV against the NFL representative, the Minnesota Vikings.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
Still the monologue had a sincere tone overall; Chalamet, rather than seeming like a sore loser, cannily presented himself as an underdog.
—Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2025
The Commanders are six-point road underdogs at BetMGM against the Philadelphia Eagles.
—Ben Fawkes, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for underdog
Articles Related to underdog
Dictionary Entries Near underdog
Cite this Entry
“Underdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underdog. Accessed 8 Feb. 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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