performance
Americannoun
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a musical, dramatic, or other entertainment presented before an audience.
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the act of performing a ceremony, play, piece of music, etc.
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the execution or accomplishment of work, acts, feats, etc.
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a particular action, deed, or proceeding.
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an action or proceeding of an unusual or spectacular kind.
His temper tantrum was quite a performance.
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the act of performing.
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the manner in which or the efficiency with which something reacts or fulfills its intended purpose.
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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.
noun
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the act, process, or art of performing
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an artistic or dramatic production
last night's performance was terrible
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manner or quality of functioning
a machine's performance
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informal mode of conduct or behaviour, esp when distasteful or irregular
what did you mean by that performance at the restaurant?
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informal any tiresome procedure
what a performance dressing the children to play in the snow!
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any accomplishment
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linguistics (in transformational grammar) the form of the human language faculty, viewed as concretely embodied in speakers Compare competence langue parole
Other Word Forms
- misperformance noun
- reperformance noun
Etymology
Origin of performance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
UBS remained expects 10-year Treasury yields to test higher levels in 2026 before settling below current spot levels next year, but projects better performance from Bunds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
An independent analysis found the authority had improved or had seen no significant performance change in 21 out of 24 areas since reducing staff hours.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
CEO Joe Scalzo expressed dissatisfaction with performance, prompting immediate actions as the stock dropped.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
It’s worth pointing out that the weakness in software stocks has coincided with strength in semiconductor stocks, creating a massive dispersion in performance beneath the hood of the technology sector.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
“I told you. There’s always time for magic. By the way—no birds were hurt in the performance of that trick.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
