underdog

nounattested in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈʌndəˌdɒɡ//
United States//ˈʌndɚˌdɔɡ//
United States//ˈʌndɚˌdɑɡ//

A competitor thought unlikely to win.

noun

1
A competitor thought unlikely to win.
They were the underdogs in the basketball competition.
In Athens, the Americans are underdogs to the Chinese and the Canadians (the Canadians!)
The visit of a Championship side would not normally send a shiver down their spine but they knew that Wigan were underdogs who would snap at their heels and that they possessed a potent bite if they were not kept on a firm leash.
2
Somebody at a disadvantage.
Laszlo: Isn't it strange that you always happened to be fighting on the side of the underdog? Rick: Yes. I found that a very expensive hobby, too. But then I never was much of a businessman.
3
A high swing wherein the person pushing the swing runs beneath the swing while the person being pushed is at the forward limit of the arc.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- Old English [Term?]? Proto-Germanic *-gô Proto-West Germanic *-gō Old English -ga Old English dogga Middle English dogge English dog English underdog From under- + dog.

Forms

plural: underdogs

under · Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered…underage · Below the legal age (usually age 18 or 21) for some activity,…undercover · Performed or happening in secret.

underdog · A competitor thought unlikely to win.

underestimate · To estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as…undergo · To experience; to pass through a phase.underground · Below the ground; below the surface of the Earth.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.