Synonyms

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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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.

Social scientist Scott Page has shown that for hard problems, a diverse group of decision-makers tends to outperform a homogeneous group of higher-ability experts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Oppenheimer rates Tesla’s stock at outperform, but does not have a price target on it.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026

Conventional wisdom has long said that retail investors should buy cheap funds that passively track the major indexes, since these index funds generally outperform actively managed funds External link.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

The broker reiterates an outperform rating on Sims’s stock, with a speculative risk qualifier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 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