underachieve
Americanverb (used without object)
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to perform, especially academically, below the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.
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to perform below expectations or achieve less than expected, especially by others.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of underachieve
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:
There has been particular concern that Protestant males from low-income backgrounds underachieve at school.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2024
Schiano’s Ohio State defenses went on to underachieve by the standards of their immense talent advantage.
From Slate ● May 12, 2021
He took over a team led by guards Lewis, John Petty and Herbert Jones that seemed to underachieve last season.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 24, 2019
Or perhaps it will get past the opening round but still underachieve.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2019
K-State is more likely to overachieve this season and finish in the top 10 than underachieve and wind up unranked.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 22, 2017
Michael: It's not really to say whether they achieved or underachieved.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
Three-time winners Saracens have underachieved in Europe over the past few seasons and found themselves needing points from their final two tricky pool games.
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
In the eyes of the program’s most fervent supporters, the team has underachieved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
“We are all here today because we underachieved in 2023,” Schneider said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has overseen a unit that has underachieved this year, making him a poor fit for the role of interim coach.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Like Newcastle, Tottenham are another underachieving team who have flirted with major honours in recent years without quite being able to get over the line.
From BBC ● May 27, 2025
Until January though he has to get a tune out of an underachieving, underperforming squad and work out his priorities for that next transfer window.
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2024
The Angels made the first trade of the offseason Thursday, acquiring slugger Jorge Soler for underachieving starting pitcher Griffin Canning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2024
But it is a testament to the uneven and underachieving history of the Padres that four people with ties to the team could not agree when “Beat L.A.” became a big deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
This hadn’t been one of those underachieving teams whose only hope was a fantastic combination of luck and miracle.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
