outperform

American

[out-per-fawrm] / ˌaʊt pərˈfɔrm /

verb (used with object)

to surpass in excellence of performance; do better than.

a new engine that outperforms the competition; a stock that outperformed all others.

outperform British

/ ˌaʊtpəˈfɔːm /

verb

to perform better than (someone or something)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of outperform

First recorded in 1955–60; out- + perform

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.

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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 AI agent is powered by Fin’s proprietary model called Apex, that is purpose built for customer support and has demonstrated industry-leading resolution rates that outperform top commercially available models, according to Salesforce.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Oppenheimer rates SpaceX’s stock at outperform with a $190 price target, which would be 41% above the company’s expected IPO price.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

“Historically, teams that host the World Cup outperform their capabilities,” Donovan said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

Looking further out, Volvo said it expects long-term growth in global transport demand, with trucks and construction equipment expected to outperform their historical growth rates moving forward.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023