Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One that is expected to lose a contest or struggle, as in sports or politics.
- noun One that is at a disadvantage.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
competitor thoughtunlikely towin . - noun Somebody at a
disadvantage . - noun A high
swing wherein the person pushing the swing runs beneath the swing while the person being pushed is at the forward limit of thearc .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun one at a disadvantage and expected to lose
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term underdog usually isn't associated with the California University of Pennsylvania football team.
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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.
Steven Weber: GOP-za-Poppin'! Steven Weber 2012
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All of a sudden, it was a contest, and because the underdog is almost always a crowd favorite, the fans got behind the underdog.
USATODAY.com - Where's the madness? Not at this NCAA site 2002
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Shrouded in underdog status, the unit hit a No. 10 spot in 1971 with R&B single "You're the Reason Why," and two years later they went to No. 14 on the charts with "It's Forever."
Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin: Dog Ears Music: Volume 144 Phil Ramone 2010
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Shrouded in underdog status, the unit hit a No. 10 spot in 1971 with R&B single "You're the Reason Why," and two years later they went to No. 14 on the charts with "It's Forever."
Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin: Dog Ears Music: Volume 144 Phil Ramone 2010
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The underdog is always challenging the front-runner to a debate.
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After that, the underdog is fighting a battle up a steep hill and is not likely to recover lost ground.
What a Bunch of Apes! « L.E. Modesitt, Jr. – The Official Website 2009
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Of course, the underdog is not always right, and nor are the Palestinians, backed by the power of the Arab states and Iran, exactly the underdog.
Why Israel Needs the Bomb Mark Helprin 2010
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The first rule for every heavy favorite playing against an upstart underdog is to attack early and crush the other team's spirit as quickly as you can.
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The reason you are the underdog is because eighty percent of America wants the Iraq occupation to end, and you want to stay for fifty to one hundred years. —
McCain: ‘I’m the Underdog’ - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008
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