underdog

noun ! Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about underdog at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

1. A competitor thought unlikely to win.

   They were the underdogs in the basketball competition.

2. Somebody at a disadvantage.
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.