outperform
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have outperformedperfect
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has outperformedperfect 3rd person singular
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has been outperformingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is outperformingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are outperformingprogressive
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outperformingparticiple
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am outperformingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been outperformingperfect progressive
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outperformssingular 3rd person
Past
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had outperformedperfect
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had been outperformingperfect progressive
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was outperformingprogressive singular
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were outperformingprogressive plural
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outperformedparticiple
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outperformedsimple
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.
The brokerage raises the stock’s target price to 65,000 yen from 32,800 yen based on new P/E that reflects changes in the company’s earnings mix, with an unchanged outperform rating.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Macquarie cuts its target price by 8.7% to A$1.05 and keeps an outperform rating on the stock, which is down 1.1% at A$0.925.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
Horan downgraded AT&T’s stock to perform from outperform on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
Both tools are designed to find hidden security weaknesses in digital systems and can outperform humans at some hacking and cyber-security tasks.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Children in those countries outperform our children, as nearly every story says.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
