performance
Americannoun
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performances
plural
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a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience.
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the act of performing a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc.
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the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc.
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a particular action, deed, or proceeding.
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an action or proceeding of an unusual or spectacular kind.
His temper tantrum was quite a performance.
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the act of performing.
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the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose.
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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
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the act, process, or art of performing
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an artistic or dramatic production
last night's performance was terrible
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manner or quality of functioning
a machine's performance
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informal mode of conduct or behaviour, esp when distasteful or irregular
what did you mean by that performance at the restaurant?
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informal any tiresome procedure
what a performance dressing the children to play in the snow!
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any accomplishment
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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
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myPerspectives 8.3
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
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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.
See Examples For:
Tesla’s stock was staging a standout performance on Monday as investors get ready for the company to show off its Cybercab robotaxis.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
In contrast, distributed "barcode-style" networks were necessary for strong performance on smell recognition and memory.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Warsh said during a speech at the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday that he was impressed by the economy’s performance but expressed concern about inflation remaining above target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
It was during a performance of the new track “Comet,” which has only been recorded live thus far, that Zardoya bewitched fans into head-banging along with her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
That soaring sensation in my heart, after every perfectly executed combination, after every onstage performance.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Daryanani also expects strong performances from Dell’s storage business and its client-solutions group, which includes personal computers.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
The shadow energy secretary is said to have impressed colleagues with her performances in Parliament and the media.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Signing from within the league also reduces some of the uncertainty, with recruitment teams already familiar with a player's qualities and performances.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
His eponymous television show, which featured performances from him and others, was viewed by several million people a week at its peak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
“It’s okay. Lots of times, there are performances at lunch or sing-alongs at dinner. That takes the place of a lot of the talking.”
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
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.
