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underperform

American

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

verb (used with or without object)

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.

Other Word Forms

underperformance

noun

Etymology

Origin of underperform

under- + perform

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:

underperform

They continue to underperform because they reward teacher seniority over competence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“Weak balance sheets, high-beta growth, and low quality earnings factors started to underperform even as the S&P 500 advanced and growth strengthened,” they said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The semiconductor sector is undergoing a reset and has a tendency to underperform in the third quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

If employers are lax in their oversight, workers might find themselves overpaying to invest in funds that underperform.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Your passion stays low, yet under no circumstance will you underperform.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023