command performance

American  

noun

1. a performance of a play, opera, ballet, or the like, given at the request of a sovereign or head of state.

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command performance British  

noun

1. a performance of a play, opera, etc, at the request of a ruler or of royalty

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command performance Idioms  

1. An occasion that one is obliged to attend, as in My boss's invitations to dinner are always a command performance. This term originally (late 1800s) denoted a theatrical or musical performance presented at the behest of a sovereign or head of state. By the 1930s it was also used figuratively for any more or less obligatory occasion or performance.

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Etymology

Origin of command performance

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

It came 13 years since his last 13-for-14 shooting performance, which happened with the Heat in 2013.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Versus rotten Brooklyn on Friday—a team thoroughly committed to the tank—the Celtics shot a silly 66.7%, the second-best shooting performance in team history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

On Tuesday night, the Minnesota Lynx harassed Loyd and the Storm into a miserable shooting performance, and handed Seattle a humbling 83-70 defeat in front of 8,508 at Climate Pledge Arena.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024

In a study published in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, researchers found that resistance training before basketball practice has minimal to no effect on shooting performance in most cases.

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2024

"Now, Richard," implored his wife, "you're not going to let those little pests go through all that shooting performance again?"

From A Chance Acquaintance by Howells, William Dean

Related Words

• world premiere