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.

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 Word Forms

• misperformance noun
• reperformance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of performance¹

First recorded in 1485–95; perform + -ance

Example Sentences

"Yeah, I'm pleased with the result but also the performance," said manager Bompastor.

From BBC

Head coach Steve Clarke hailed a "good start" to Scotland's World Cup qualifying campaign, but warned that they will need to maintain the level of performance that earned an opening draw in Denmark.

From BBC

His thoughtful and riveting performance ensures that we never stop pulling for Andy, even after he dooms the crew’s most vulnerable but least interesting member.

From Salon

That staggering scene alone could render this a career-best performance for O’Brien given its vulnerability.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s already two games in the books for some high school football players, so let’s take a look at the impressive two-game statistical performances.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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