underperform
verbEtymology From under- + perform.
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:
- 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:
2 more examples
- 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:
- 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:
- Antonyms
- overperform
- Derived terms
- underperformance, underperformer