Definition of "underdog" []

• One that is expected to lose a contest or struggle, as in sports or politics. (noun)
• One that is at a disadvantage. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term underdog usually isn't associated with the California University of Pennsylvania football team."
• "Like "socialist", "appeaser" and "community organizer", the appellation "underdog" is just another co-opted, re-jiggered rightwing button that gets pushed every time Ailes and Company want their audience to respond like the flinching sheep they are."
• "All of a sudden, it was a contest, and because the underdog is almost always a crowd favorite, the fans got behind the underdog."