underperform

verb

un·​der·​per·​form ˌən-dər-pər-ˈfȯrm 

-pə-ˈfȯrm

underperformed; underperforming; underperforms

transitive verb

: to do worse than

… it believes the company will underperform other relatives covered by the firm …

—Jim Milliot

intransitive verb

: to fail to do as well as expected

The stocks underperformed.

underperformance

ˌən-dər-pər-ˈfȯr-mən(t)s 

-pə-ˈfȯr-

noun

underperformer noun

Examples of underperform in a Sentence

The report shows which schools are underperforming.

Recent Examples on the Web

Interestingly, the strategy then underperformed for the next three years, 2017 to 2019. —Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

The Indian stock market is underperforming global peers so far in 2026, falling over 9%. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 19 June 2026

Musk’s Grok models have historically underperformed their counterparts on coding tasks, but Cursor’s vast swaths of data will help SpaceX mount formidable competition to Anthropic and OpenAI. —Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 17 June 2026

In 2014, Lowes Foods began pulling out of Charlotte, swapping stores with Harris Teeter and closing underperforming stores as part of a reinvestment strategy. —Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for underperform

• cuneiform
• iodoform
• nonuniform
• brainstorm
• conform
• deform
• firestorm
• hailstorm
• inform
• landform
• lukewarm
• perform