What does underdogs mean?

Definitions for underdogs
un·der·dogs

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word underdogs.


Did you actually mean underdog or undertake?

Wikipedia

  1. underdogs

    An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an upset. An "underdog bet" is a bet on the underdog or outsider for which the odds are generally higher. The first recorded uses of the term occurred in the second half of the 19th century; its first meaning was "the beaten dog in a fight".In British and American culture, underdogs are highly regarded. This harkens to core Judeo-Christian stories, such as that of David and Goliath, and also ancient British legends such as Robin Hood and King Arthur, and reflects the ideal behind the American dream, where someone who is poor and/or weak can use hard work to achieve victory. Underdogs are most valorized in sporting culture, both in real events, such as the Miracle on Ice, and in popular culture depictions of sports, where the trope is omnipresent. The idea is so common that even when teams are evenly matched, spectators and commentators are drawn to establishing one side as the underdog. Historian David M. Potter explained that underdogs are appealing to Americans not because they simply beat the odds, but overcome an injustice that explains those odds - such as the game being unfairly rigged due to privilege and power. Sometimes a team or competitor may be technically the favorite in a game but be an underdog in the big picture, as they weren't expected to be in that kind of position, such as a Cinderella team in sports. In a story, the Fool is often an underdog if they are the main character. Their apparent ineptitude leads to people underestimating their true abilities, and they are able to win either through luck or hidden wisdom against a more powerful, "establishment" villain. An example in film is The Tramp portrayed by Charlie Chaplin.

How to pronounce underdogs?

How to say underdogs in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of underdogs in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of underdogs in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of underdogs in a Sentence

  1. Irishman Clarke:

    We don't know who the team is quite yet, darren will say they are the underdogs, I'm sure. They always say that.

  2. Adolph Hitler:

    The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed the subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty.

  3. Kirsten Dunst:

    It was special because we were underdogs, we didn’t think that movie would be as big as it was. We didn’t know. We were like a little Universal picture no one really cared about and let us do our thing in San Diego, and then it jumped to number one, and I’d never had a number one film before.

  4. Ante Milicic:

    Whether we are favorites or underdogs does not concern me.

  5. Benjamin Hordell:

    In sports you have heroes, villains and underdogs, tiger has lived all of it. That's amazing from a storytelling perspective. People will root against him, but they're watching.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

underdogs#10000#56307#100000

Translations for underdogs

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for underdogs »

Translation

Find a translation for the underdogs definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"underdogs." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Jul 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/underdogs>.

Discuss these underdogs definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for underdogs? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    To make worse
    A exacerbate
    B fluster
    C flub
    D knead

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for underdogs: