performance
Americannoun
-
performances
plural
-
a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience.
-
the act of performing a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc.
-
the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc.
-
a particular action, deed, or proceeding.
-
an action or proceeding of an unusual or spectacular kind.
His temper tantrum was quite a performance.
-
the act of performing.
-
the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose.
-
Linguistics. the actual use of language in real situations, which may or may not fully reflect a speaker's competence, being subject to such nonlinguistic factors as inattention, distraction, memory lapses, fatigue, or emotional state.
noun
-
the act, process, or art of performing
-
an artistic or dramatic production
last night's performance was terrible
-
manner or quality of functioning
a machine's performance
-
informal mode of conduct or behaviour, esp when distasteful or irregular
what did you mean by that performance at the restaurant?
-
informal any tiresome procedure
what a performance dressing the children to play in the snow!
-
any accomplishment
-
linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, viewed as concretely embodied in speakers Compare competence langue parole
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of performance
Explanation
Performance has to do with doing something: a concert or play is a performance, and if you want to talk about how well the actors did, you'd rate their performance. The main sense of performance is artsy: actors and musicians (and other performers) give performances. You could praise an actor's performance in a movie, but this word extends to other kinds of work and accomplishments as well. If you're failing math, your performance is below par. An athlete can get in trouble for taking performance-enhancing drugs: drugs that make their performance better. Anytime you're talking about how something or someone works — or performs — you're talking about performance.
Vocabulary lists containing performance
Academy Awards, List 6
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
myPerspectives 8.3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
"It was a special one, not only because we played against maybe the best team in England but because of the performance," Hurzeler told BBC Match of the Day.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Former Heat executive Eric Amsler will be an assistant general manager and Keith D’Amelio will focus on integrated performance systems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The Portuguese midfielder was subbed at half-time and De Zerbi said he "didn't like" Fernandes' performance, while £75m was spent on Savio from Manchester City.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Delivered end-to-end in a single unified system, purpose-built from the ground up to deliver speed, performance, and efficiency on the most demanding AI workloads.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
I encountered a repeat performance of unfamiliar fans cheering me on in front of the medieval, storybook-looking restaurant.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Maybe I’m imagining things, but considering that the performances of both teams were equally awful, everyone is really blasting the Chargers while making lots of excuses for the Rams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
That said, the performances are so captivating that one quickly becomes embroiled in the imperiled fates of the characters and their flailing attempts to either escape or ignore them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Among his most indelible performances was “The Way You Look Tonight.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"Ultimately, this is a decision that we have not taken lightly, but unfortunately, one as a board we had to make due to the recent downturn of results and performances," said executive chairman, Ian Gordon.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Not only would I be the first American woman to do that, but if I delivered strong performances in the event finals, I could also become the most decorated American gymnast in Worlds history.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
