outperform
Americanverb (used with object)
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:
Index fund fans counter that claims of distortion are mostly sour grapes from fund managers struggling to outperform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
New Zealanders have regularly seen their larger neighbours, Australia, outperform them at major tournaments.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
He points to IPPR's recent analysis of 22 high-income countries which found no evidence insurance-based systems like the Netherlands' outperform tax-funded models on measures such as access or quality.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Reiterating an outperform rating on the stock, the analyst tells clients in a note that they also see benefits from Netwealth’s expansion in the broker market through its new agreement with Morgan Stanley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
The Beijing-based startup claims that the model outperforms some cutting-edge U.S. systems, stoking what some analysts called “DeepSeek 2.0 concerns”—a nod to the rival Chinese AI startup that upended global markets early last year.
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
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
The hybrid approach outperforms leading models that rely only on conventional computers.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2026
Chinese markets outperformed as investors extended a recent rally on expectations Beijing will unveil further measures to support the economy after last week's economic data.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
The Universal Pictures film’s haul outperformed studio expectations of a $117-million domestic opening and set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a live-action or R-rated film so far this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
The new format, expanding team participation from 32 to 48, has brought to center stage smaller, underdog countries that have outperformed expectations, produced unexpected heroes and warmed our collective hearts.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Another recent model launched by Beijing-based Z.AI, the GLM-5.2, outperformed several leading U.S. systems on some benchmarks, particularly in coding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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
Retail investors had a pretty strong two-month stretch when they were outperforming the broader market by as much as 10 percentage points.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
At World Cups, Messi has scored 17 non-penalty goals from chances worth approximately 13.1 expected goals, outperforming expectation by almost four goals.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Older workers are fighting ageism by starting their own businesses — and they’re outperforming younger entrepreneurs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
That means big investors who are buying new issues are likely outperforming the broader market, a trend that hasn’t been the norm over the last several years and might not continue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 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.
