underperform

American  

[uhn-der-per-fawrm] / ˌʌn dər pərˈfɔrm /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to perform less well than (another of its kind, a general average, etc.) or less well than expected.

   Surprisingly, the stock has underperformed the market indexes all year. Several of our best players consistently underperform.

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Other Word Forms

• underperformance noun

Etymology

Origin of underperform

under- + perform

Example Sentences

“We expect retail sales to underperform for a few more months as households see a decline in their real incomes,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

It raises ratings on Ganfeng Lithium’s H- and A-shares to outperform from underperform and target prices to HK$85.00 from HK$53.00 and to CNY90.00 from CNY65.00, respectively.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

High market volatility can cause leveraged ETFs to underperform their targets.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

She has an underperform rating and $56 price target on the stock, implying she thinks shares could fall more than 30% from their current price of $84.41.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Your passion stays low, yet under no circumstance will you underperform.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama