underperform

verb

un·​der·​per·​form ˌən-dər-pər-ˈfȯrm 

-pə-ˈfȯrm

underperformed; underperforming; underperforms

transitive verb

: to do worse than

intransitive verb

: to fail to do as well as expected

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

Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025

The pitching staff never put it together in the second half, with many of its purportedly reliable arms underperforming. —Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Two underperforming cities were Houston (-30%) and Dallas (-23%). —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025

After all, owning low-cost index funds should under normal circumstances be far preferable to dabbling in individual stocks (88% of professional fund managers underperformed the S&P 500 index over the past 15 years). —Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 28 Sep. 2025

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