underdog

plural underdogs

1. A competitor thought unlikely to win.

   They were the underdogs in the basketball competition.

   3 more examples

   In Athens, the Americans are underdogs to the Chinese and the Canadians (the Canadians!)

   2004 August 30, The New Yorker, page 40

   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.

   2014 March 9, Jacob Steinberg, “Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 07 Aug 2020

   You certainly can’t imagine an American version of Flitcroft’s story: Hollywood finds little ironic joy in shambling, defeated men, which is why they have a monopoly on underdog sports films to begin with.

   2022 July 23, Guy Lodge, “Streaming: The Phantom of the Open and the best underdog sports films”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2022

   Synonyms: little guy, rank outsider

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.

   1942, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch, Casablanca

   Synonyms: bottom dog

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.