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underperform

American

[uhn-der-per-fawrm] / ˌʌn dər pərˈfɔrm /

verb (used with or without object)

to perform less well than (another of its kind, a general average, etc.) or less well than expected.

Surprisingly, the stock has underperformed the market indexes all year. Several of our best players consistently underperform.

Other Word Forms

underperformance

noun

Etymology

Origin of underperform

under- + perform

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

underperform

Macquarie has an outperform rating on Suncorp and an underperform rating on IAG.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The bank lifts its stock-price target to 39 euros from 37 euros and keeps its underperform rating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

As for how to invest, Barry and Hunter recommend holding on to 2-year/10-year “steepeners,” meaning is a bet that longer-term Treasury prices will underperform their shorter-term counterparts, driven by more supply and inflation concerns.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

“If revenues underperform or planned savings prove more difficult to achieve, pressure to identify additional cost reductions could increase,” the report said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Your passion stays low, yet under no circumstance will you underperform.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023