underdog
noun
un·der·dog
ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 
1
: a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest
… the biggest obstacle has been the adjustment from underdog last season to contender …—
Mike Wise
Mike Wise2
: a victim of injustice or persecution
… portrayed himself as an honest underdog that the Government would do anything to stop.—Michael Specter
Michael SpecterExamples 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
Born in a Rio de Janeiro favela, few soccer players symbolize better the rags to riches from pitches underdog story.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 15 May 2026
SpaceX has grown from a relative underdog in the space industry to an aerospace behemoth with billions of dollars in government contracts and serves as a backbone for America’s space program.
—Anthony Hughes, Fortune, 15 May 2026
One of the most consistently infuriating elements of Yellowstone was how Sheridan kept positioning the Duttons — a family of land barons with immense political power and a penchant for murder — as righteous underdogs.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 15 May 2026
The Wild would have been underdogs to beat the league’s best team even with Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, who both missed the series with injuries.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for underdog
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
John Hopewell, Variety, 15 May 2026
SpaceX has grown from a relative underdog in the space industry to an aerospace behemoth with billions of dollars in government contracts and serves as a backbone for America’s space program.
—Anthony Hughes, Fortune, 15 May 2026
One of the most consistently infuriating elements of Yellowstone was how Sheridan kept positioning the Duttons — a family of land barons with immense political power and a penchant for murder — as righteous underdogs.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 15 May 2026
The Wild would have been underdogs to beat the league’s best team even with Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, who both missed the series with injuries.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for underdog
Cite this Entry
“Underdog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underdog. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underdog
noun
un·der·dog
ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg
: the loser or predicted loser in a struggle
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
