performance

[ per-fawr-muhns ]

noun

1. a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience.
2. the act of performing a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc.
3. the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc.
4. a particular action, deed, or proceeding.
5. an action or proceeding of an unusual or spectacular kind:

   His temper tantrum was quite a performance.

6. the act of performing.
7. the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose.
8. Linguistics. the actual use of language in real situations, which may or may not fully reflect a speaker's competence, being subject to such nonlinguistic factors as inattention, distraction, memory lapses, fatigue, or emotional state. Compare competence ( def 6 ).

performance

/ pəˈfɔːməns /

noun

1. the act, process, or art of performing
2. an artistic or dramatic production

   last night's performance was terrible

3. manner or quality of functioning

   a machine's performance

4. informal.
   mode of conduct or behaviour, esp when distasteful or irregular

   what did you mean by that performance at the restaurant?

5. informal.
   any tiresome procedure

   what a performance dressing the children to play in the snow!

6. any accomplishment
7. linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, viewed as concretely embodied in speakers Compare competence langue parole

Other Words From

• misper·formance noun
• reper·formance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of performance¹

First recorded in 1485–95; perform + -ance

Example Sentences

What was here in potential was an immersive experience — maybe the first of its kind — where you can faithfully represent your live performance so that there’s only a few giveaways that it’s not actually happening live in front of you.

From Los Angeles Times

But current contenders for the top slots include Sam Fender, who put on an incredible Pyramid Stage performance two years ago; and Olivia Rodrigo, who's already headlining the BST Festival in London on Glastonbury weekend.

From BBC

This summer’s “Twisters,” released by Universal Pictures, grossed nearly $371 million worldwide and is the sixth highest grossing film domestically so far this year, according to film performance tracker Box Office Mojo.

From Los Angeles Times

Dave Alvin, co-founder of the Blasters and the Knitters — the latter also featured Doe and Cervenka, among others — bands that were pillars of the L.A. cowpunk scene, said he caught an early Yoakam performance at the Palomino after wandering into the club randomly in search of a beer.

From Los Angeles Times

It will be a challenge, however, with the offensive line possibly reshuffling again after a poor performance against the Dolphins.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• act
• appearance
• behavior
• concert
• dance
• display
• drama
• opera
• play
• portrayal
• presentation
• production
• show