outperform
Americanverb (used with object)
-
outperforms,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outperformed,
past participle, past
-
outperforming
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
outperformsimple
-
outperformssimple
-
have outperformedperfect
-
has outperformedperfect
-
am outperformingprogressive
-
are outperformingprogressive
-
is outperformingprogressive
-
have been outperformingperfect progressive
-
has been outperformingperfect progressive
Past
-
outperformedsimple
-
had outperformedperfect
-
was outperformingprogressive
-
were outperformingprogressive
-
had been outperformingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outperform
Explanation
To outperform is to accomplish something in a better or more impressive way that someone else. In a marathon, the younger runners usually outperform the very oldest ones. Whenever you surpass or beat the record of another person, you can say you outperform them. Experienced workers frequently outperform newer employees, and pundits like to worry aloud about students in other countries who outperform American kids on standardized tests. You can also say that an investment that makes more money outperforms a less profitable one.
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:
It downgrades the stock to neutral from outperform “in the absence of a more attractive met-coal market backdrop.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
So, even if you were inclined to treat midcaps as a distinct asset class, you’d still need to know whether they are about to outperform or underperform the smallest or largest stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
That puts the equal-weight ETF on pace to outperform the S&P 500 for the first time since 2022, as the chart below shows.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 9, 2026
Keeping an outperform rating on the stock, one of the investment bank’s analysts writes in a note that there is upside risk from funds under management, flows, fee rates and operating margins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I was always trying to out-think, outperform, even out-dress my competitors. It was wearing me down.”
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
Kimi 3 boasts 2.8 trillion parameters and, according to industry experts, outperforms all other models with the exception of Anthropic’s Fable and OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5.6.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
China’s Moonshot AI has launched an artificial-intelligence model it says outperforms some cutting-edge U.S. systems, the latest sign that Chinese labs can rival American counterparts in critical technology frontiers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
In terms of attacking metrics for their clubs this season, Mbappe outperforms Haaland in shots, touches and chances created, although the City striker recorded more assists in 2025-26.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Geiser argued that the high school GPA outperforms the SAT in predicting first-year student success once income and race are controlled.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
The hybrid approach outperforms leading models that rely only on conventional computers.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2026
Yuval Raphael's song, New Day Will Rise, placed 15th with the contest's juries - but outperformed every other participant in the public vote, scoring 297 points.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Another aspect of the broadening market performance has been that stocks outside the U.S. have outperformed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Micron stock was rallying alongside other chip names on Wednesday but Korean standouts SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics outperformed following a report of a massive investment.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Additionally, despite the tough results, gaming ads still significantly outperformed the market, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Hermione’s expression could not have been any smugger; she had loathed being outperformed in every Potions class.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
When I reported on the business of Starbucks last year, analysts pointed to a major shift happening in the drinks market: concept-forward drinks are outperforming other traditional mainstays in the landscape.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Barcola converted those chances into 11 league goals, outperforming his xG, while no PSG player or Ligue 1 winger recorded a higher xG total during the 2025-26 campaign.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Despite outperforming peers, the shares still trade at a discount.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Value stocks are quietly outperforming growth this year, but the companies driving the surge look nothing like traditional value plays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“She’s just never got over you outperforming her in Potions,” said Ron, returning to his copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
