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

• underperformance
  noun

Etymology

Origin of underperform

under- + perform

Example Sentences

It found that buying the dip isn’t always lucrative and that the strategy sometimes suffers huge drawdowns that significantly underperform a buy-and-hold portfolio.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Ever since he broke out as a teenager in Europe, Pulisic had been billed as the great hope of U.S. men’s soccer, only for the squad to underperform around him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

Afterward, private investor sales can drive down the stock—one reason IPOs tend to underperform the market six months to a year after issuance External link.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 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

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