underperform

American  

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

verb (used with or without object)

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• underperformance
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of underperform

under- + perform

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

underperform

If the technology group begins to underperform while the rest of the market holds up, stocks could start trading more closely together, and correlations could rise.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 18, 2026

A ratio only suggests SPY is likely to underperform, which could mean it falls faster, rises more slowly or moves in the opposite direction.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 18, 2026

Ebury said U.K. assets could underperform ahead of the Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Tran reckons WTI faces continued consolidation, and will likely underperform Brent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

They would bet, for instance, that bonds with large numbers of loans made in California would underperform bonds with very little of California in them.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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