underdog
Americannoun
-
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
-
the competitor least likely to win a fight or contest
-
a person in adversity or in a position of inferiority
Etymology
Origin of underdog
1875–80, under- + dog ( def. )
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.
Yet the head coach has consistently said they are underdogs to return to the Champions League.
From BBC
But Norway’s Olympic superstars and soccer underdogs have one crucial attribute in common: a remarkable capacity to withstand pain.
I could not have given him a more simple and true answer, and it seemed to hit Joe, who had built his career out of representing the underdog, right in the gut.
From Los Angeles Times
Forty-six years to the day since their underdog predecessors toppled the Mighty Red Machine, United States men’s hockey is golden again.
"Canada going for their 10th gold, so usually the neutral will go with the underdog," he says.
From BBC
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.
