underperform

American  

[uhn-der-per-fawrm] / ˌʌn dər pərˈfɔrm /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to perform less well than (another of its kind, a general average, etc.) or less well than expected.

   Surprisingly, the stock has underperformed the market indexes all year. Several of our best players consistently underperform.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underperformance
  noun

Etymology

Origin of underperform

under- + perform

Example Sentences

The bank also upgrades its rating on uranium producer Boss Energy to neutral from underperform.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Typically, self-funded campaigns underperform compared to more traditional campaigns, in part because donors are engaged voters and raising money activates their networks as well, Blank said.

From Salon • May 23, 2026

IPOs tend to underperform the market, with a not-insignificant share of those stocks delivering negative returns.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Rezaei has an underperform rating on CoreWeave’s stock.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

They would bet, for instance, that bonds with large numbers of loans made in California would underperform bonds with very little of California in them.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis