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View synonyms for performance

performance

[per-fawr-muhns]

noun

  1. a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience.

  2. the act of performing a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc.

  3. the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc.

  4. a particular action, deed, or proceeding.

  5. an action or proceeding of an unusual or spectacular kind.

    His temper tantrum was quite a performance.

  6. the act of performing.

  7. the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose.

  8. 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.



performance

/ pəˈfɔːməns /

noun

  1. the act, process, or art of performing

  2. an artistic or dramatic production

    last night's performance was terrible

  3. manner or quality of functioning

    a machine's performance

  4. informal,  mode of conduct or behaviour, esp when distasteful or irregular

    what did you mean by that performance at the restaurant?

  5. informal,  any tiresome procedure

    what a performance dressing the children to play in the snow!

  6. any accomplishment

  7. linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, viewed as concretely embodied in speakers Compare competence langue parole

“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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Other Word Forms

  • misperformance noun
  • reperformance noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of performance1

First recorded in 1485–95; perform + -ance
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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.

It came a day after she cancelled all shows "for the foreseeable future", following a collapse on stage during a performance in New York.

From BBC

At the terminal station in India's financial capital Mumbai she was given a grand farewell by her colleagues, complete with beating drums and dance performances.

From BBC

Speaking on his podcast this week, Bill Burr defended his Riyadh performance in the face of the backlash.

From BBC

But there’s not enough motivation baked into the big third-act twist, and the performances just aren’t strong enough to suggest anything deeper.

It was a "statement" performance, but Manchester United were still left wanting more than the point they took from a side that has won the last six Women's Super League titles.

From BBC

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performperformance appraisal