Dictionary

underperform en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *-tér Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *h₂én Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰi ? Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- English perform English underperform From under- + perform.

Meanings

1. (ambitransitive) To underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations, especially with respect to a financial investment.
   • Even outside the Anglo-Saxon world, underperforming public companies have become vulnerable to hostile takeover. 2002, Robert M. Grant, Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications, page 40:
   • Former HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins provided a timely reminder of why Britain needs HS2 in a letter to The Times on September 25, in which he asked: "Why are so few FTSE 100 companies based outside the South East? Why is there such a brain drain of graduates from the North? Why do northern cities underperform compared with their European counterparts? 2023 October 4, Philip Haigh, “HS2's rising costs: government only has itself to blame”, in RAIL, number 993, page 53:
   • She inhabits the prose’s terrible serenity and glacial horror — the translator’s hand never overwhelms or underperforms. 2016 February 2, Porochista Khakpour, “‘The Vegetarian,’ by Han Kang”, in The New York Times:
   • Jesus' finishing has been one of the main concerns - since the start of last season the 23-year-old has underperformed his Premier League expected goals tally by 6.97goals (in short, he has scored seven fewer goals than would be expected from the chances presented to him). 2021 February 4, Raj Chohan, “Erling Braut Haaland: Would Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea suit striker best?”, in BBC Sport:

Forms

Antonyms

overperform

Deriveds

underperformer · underperformance

Translations (12)

es menosdesempeñar (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · fi alisuoriutua (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · pl dokonać (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · sv underprestera (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · de unterdurchschnittlich abschneiden (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · ro subperforma (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · cmn 表現不佳 /表现不佳 (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · de but see hinter den Erwartungen zurückbleiben (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · pl but see dokonywać (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · es menosdesempeñarse (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · fi alisuorittaa (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations) · de die Erwartungen enttäuschen (underachieve; to fail to reach standards or expectations)