outperform
Americanverb (used with object)
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outperforms,
present (3rd person singular)
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outperformed,
past participle, past
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outperforming
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outperformsimple
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outperformssimple
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have outperformedperfect
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has outperformedperfect
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am outperformingprogressive
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are outperformingprogressive
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is outperformingprogressive
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have been outperformingperfect progressive
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has been outperformingperfect progressive
Past
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outperformedsimple
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had outperformedperfect
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was outperformingprogressive
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were outperformingprogressive
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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:
This allowed the researchers to identify the general circumstances in which heterogeneity can outperform uniformity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
However, the Singapore dollar can still outperform, as its current annual pace of appreciation is 1.25%, Maybank says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Google’s next Gemini AI model release could provide a catalyst for the stock, Mahaney said, if it can outperform leading-edge models, including those from OpenAI and Anthropic.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The legacy investor, who now is chairman of Berkshire after spending decades as its CEO, has believed for a long time that stocks almost certainly outperform bonds.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Or that the upper triple-A-rated floor of some subprime mortgage bond would outperform the lower, triple-B-rated, floor.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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
The American College of Sports Medicine’s position is that exercising after meals and in the afternoon outperforms fasting and morning exercise sessions for glycemic control.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
Geiser said that the high school GPA outperforms the SAT in predicting first-year student success once income and race are controlled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Still, with growth heavily reliant on exports—particularly electronics and AI-related products—analysts warn of an uneven “K-shaped” economy, where the tech sector outperforms while other industries stagnate and consumers face rising costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
The hybrid approach outperforms leading models that rely only on conventional computers.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2026
After the dot-com bubble burst in early 2000, value stocks hugely outperformed growth stocks, and it wouldn’t be surprising if something similar occurs in the coming months.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
But he was outperformed citywide, leaving Palisades voters with a choice some liken to picking the lesser of two evils: Mayor Karen Bass or Councilmember Nithya Raman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Medtronic, McCormick and T. Rowe Price are among the stocks that have outperformed the S&P 500 over the past three months—and have dividend yields of at least 3%.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
“The Last House” and “The Whisper Man” have both outperformed “Don’t Say Good Luck,” with “The Whisper Man” clobbering both in the number of hours viewed after just a few days on the streamer.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Sponsored by Kagen, the resolution recognized the accomplishments of the 13 women who outshined and outperformed their male counterparts—but were never allowed to fly into space.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
It’s outperforming huge companies like Nvidia and Google on some metrics, while besting gold and the world’s dominant currencies on others.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
But in a surprising twist for commercial real estate, malls are outperforming every other property type.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Despite outperforming other fast food chains and posting impressive same-store sales, the Mexican-inspired chain Taco Bell has taken a hit after being linked to Cyclospora.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
They navigated mazes and remembered previously encountered objects almost as effectively as younger mice, while outperforming similarly aged mice whose EP2 receptors continued functioning normally.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Whatever triggered Peeta's decision -and I suspect it had to do with my outperforming him in training -I should be nothing but grateful for it.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
