underperform

verb

un·​der·​per·​form ˌən-dər-pər-ˈfȯrm How to pronounce underperform (audio)
-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 noun
underperformer noun

Examples of underperform in a Sentence

The report shows which schools are underperforming.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The problem is not that Los Angeles cares too little about education; the problem is the unmanageable and underperforming bureaucracy to which delivering education has been entrusted. Daniel L Gordon, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026 Of late, its fortunes have reversed, with GE underperforming its Industry Group (Aerospace), underperforming its Sector (Industrials) and underperforming the market (S & P 500 Index). Carter Braxton Worth, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026 Since then, based both on the number of ballots cast and voting percentages, Republican presidential candidates have regularly underperformed Lake County Republicans running for countywide positions on the same ballot. Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 Helping the market get its head around AI The AI mood swing that left LSEG’s shares underperforming the FTSE-100 challenged the core of Schwimmer’s strategy. Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for underperform

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of underperform was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Underperform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underperform. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.

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