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:
Macquarie has an outperform rating and a A$1.50/share target on Liontown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Leopold raised his rating on AMD’s stock to a strong buy, from outperform.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Economists at ING expect a solid recovery in profits, as technology-related sectors such as computer, communications and electronic-equipment manufacturers continue to outperform in exports due to AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
In his view, AI demand, Amphenol’s strength in scaling acquisitions and its diversifying end markets put it in a position “to outperform the broader markets” this year and beyond, Daryanani said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 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
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
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
Its total incident rate — a metric that measures the frequency of workplace injuries and illnesses — outperforms the industry average by 14%, the company said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
A “low-tech” tool from the Cleveland Fed consistently outperforms generative AI, which has struggled to provide reliable forecasts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
The hybrid approach outperforms leading models that rely only on conventional computers.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 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
Yardeni: We have been recommending staying home over going global since 2010, and that worked well until last year, when going global outperformed and we did not fully anticipate the rotation away from the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
The ETC said that northern Europe, which it classifies as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the UK, had "outperformed all other European subregions".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 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
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
Despite DJ Uiagalelei outperforming Trey Lance in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Rams, the incumbent was named QB2 once again, as the Chargers announced their initial 53-man roster Sunday evening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Enhanced-return investing is “focused on outperforming a benchmark, index or peer group through security selection, market timing, tactical asset allocation or other investment strategies,” La Spisa says.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
While the artificial-intelligence boom has aided the returns of data center-focused REITs, such REITs were outperforming their counterparts even before 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 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.
