Meaning 1neutral; sports, elections, and competition · 82%
To be defeated in a contest, election, or comparison.
Natural examples
Im Finale unterlag unser Verein dem Titelverteidiger knapp.
Our club narrowly lost to the defending champion in the final.
Bei der Wahl unterlag die Amtsinhaberin ihrem jungen Herausforderer.
In the election, the incumbent lost to her young challenger.
Die Gäste unterlagen mit einem Punkt Unterschied.
The visitors were defeated by a one-point margin.
Usage note
In the sense of losing, unterliegen takes sein in the perfect and the opponent appears in the dative.
Mini-lesson: unterliegen
To be defeated in a contest, election, or comparison. In the sense of losing, unterliegen takes sein in the perfect and the opponent appears in the dative.
Check your learning
Choose one answer.Which definition matches «unterliegen»?