Alternative forms

• performaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle EnglishCategory:English terms inherited from Middle English#PERFORMANCECategory:English terms derived from Middle English#PERFORMANCE parfourmaunce; equivalent to perform +‎ -anceCategory:English terms suffixed with -ance#PERFORMANCE.^[1]

Pronunciation

• enPR: pər-fôrʹ-məns
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [pəˈfɔː.məns]Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): [pɚˈfɔɹ.məns]Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE

    • Audio (California):

      (file)

      Category:English terms with audio pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): [pəˈfoː.məns]Category:English terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
• Hyphenation: per‧for‧mance

Noun

performance (countable and uncountable, plural performances)Category:English lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:English nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:English uncountable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:English countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:English countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:English entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action.

   the performance of an undertaking or a dutyCategory:English terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

   Though the result wasn't what we were hoping for, I have to commend the performance of the team, never giving up until the end.Category:English terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.

     Category:English terms with quotations#PERFORMANCE

   • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, page 98:

     The outstanding train on the L.M.S. route was the 6.20 p.m. from Birmingham, which reached Euston in two hours after intermediate stops at Coventry, Rugby and Watford Junction, and evoked some sparkling performances from "Patriot" and "Jubilee" 4-6-0s.

     Category:English terms with quotations#PERFORMANCE

2. That which is performed or accomplished; a thing done or carried through; an achievement; a deed; an act; a feat; especially, an action of an elaborate or public character.
3. (artCategory:en:Art#PERFORMANCE) A live show or concert.

   The band played a mix of old and new songs during their 90-minute performance.Category:English terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

   We saw the whole ballet performance from the front row.Category:English terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

4. The amount of useful work accomplished estimated in terms of time needed, resources used, etc.

   Better performance means more work accomplished in shorter time and/or using fewer resources.Category:English terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

5. (linguisticsCategory:en:Linguistics#PERFORMANCE) The actual use of language in concrete situations by native speakers of a language, as opposed to the system of linguistic knowledge they possess (competence), cf. linguistic performance.

References

• “performance”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• performance in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “performance”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Catalan terms borrowed from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan terms derived from English#PERFORMANCE performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /perˈfɔrməns/^[1]Category:Catalan 3-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE

Noun

performance f (plural performances)Category:Catalan lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan feminine nouns with no feminine ending#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:Catalan feminine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. performance (a live show or concert)

References

Further reading

• “performance”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from EnglishCategory:Dutch terms borrowed from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch unadapted borrowings from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch terms derived from English#PERFORMANCE performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pərˈfɔːrməns/Category:Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:Dutch terms with audio pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
• Hyphenation: per‧for‧mance

Noun

performance f or m (plural performances, no diminutive)Category:Dutch lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch nouns with f+m gender#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch nouns with plural in -s#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch feminine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch masculine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Dutch nouns with multiple genders#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. performance (act of performing)
2. performance (that which is performed or accomplished)
3. performance (live show)

   De performance ‘I'm leaving this room’, waarbij Oenema, gezeten naast een overheadprojector, zingend haar knipsels liet zien, stond onder meer op het Crossing Border Festival en Noorderslag.

   The performance ‘I'm leaving this room’, in which Oenema, seated next to an overhead projector, sang and showed her clippings, was performed at the Crossing Border Festival and Noorderslag, among others.

   Category:Dutch terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

4. performance (amount of useful work accomplished)

   Om maar eens een understatement te gebruiken: het is niet mijn beste performance geweest in de afgelopen jaren.

   To use an understatement: it was not my best performance in recent years.

   Category:Dutch terms with usage examples#PERFORMANCE

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:French terms borrowed from English#PERFORMANCECategory:French terms derived from English#PERFORMANCE performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.fɔʁ.mɑ̃s/Category:French 3-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:French terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE

• Audio:

  (file)

  Category:French terms with audio pronunciation#PERFORMANCE

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

  Category:French terms with audio pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
• Rhymes: -ɑ̃sCategory:Rhymes:French/ɑ̃s#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:French/ɑ̃s/3 syllables#PERFORMANCE
• Hyphenation: per‧for‧mance

Noun

performance f (plural performances)Category:French lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:French nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:French countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:French entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:French feminine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. (sportsCategory:fr:Sports#PERFORMANCE) performance

Further reading

• “performance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Etymology

Borrowed from EnglishCategory:Italian terms borrowed from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian terms derived from English#PERFORMANCE performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /perˈfɔr.mans/^[1]Category:Italian 3-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • Rhymes: -ɔrmansCategory:Rhymes:Italian/ɔrmans#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Italian/ɔrmans/3 syllables#PERFORMANCE
• IPA^(key): (proscribed) /ˈper.for.mans/Category:Italian 3-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • Rhymes: -erformansCategory:Rhymes:Italian/erformans#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Italian/erformans/3 syllables#PERFORMANCE

Noun

performance f (invariable)Category:Italian lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian indeclinable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:Italian feminine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. performance

References

Further reading

• performance in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Alternative forms

• perfórmance (uncommon)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from EnglishCategory:Portuguese terms borrowed from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Portuguese unadapted borrowings from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Portuguese terms derived from English#PERFORMANCE performance.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɔʁmɐ̃siCategory:Rhymes:Portuguese/ɔʁmɐ̃si#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Portuguese/ɔʁmɐ̃si/3 syllables#PERFORMANCE
• Hyphenation: per‧for‧man‧ce

Noun

performance f (plural performances)Category:Portuguese lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:Portuguese nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Portuguese countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Portuguese entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:Portuguese feminine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. acting performance

   Synonyms: atuação, desempenho

2. realization
3. feat
4. (artCategory:pt:Art#PERFORMANCE) performance (artistic manifestation based on staging that can combine dance, music, audiovisual media)
5. (linguisticsCategory:pt:Linguistics#PERFORMANCE) performance (manifestation of a speaker's linguistic competence)

Further reading

• “performance”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “performance”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “performance”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from EnglishCategory:Spanish terms borrowed from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish unadapted borrowings from English#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish terms derived from English#PERFORMANCE performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peɾˈfoɾmans/ [peɾˈfoɾ.mãns]Category:Spanish 3-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • Rhymes: -oɾmansCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/oɾmans#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Spanish/oɾmans/3 syllables#PERFORMANCE
• IPA^(key): (sometimes) /ˈpeɾfoɾmans/ [ˈpeɾ.foɾ.mãns]Category:Spanish 3-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • Rhymes: -eɾfoɾmansCategory:Rhymes:Spanish/eɾfoɾmans#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Spanish/eɾfoɾmans/3 syllables#PERFORMANCE
• IPA^(key): /peɾfoɾˈmanθe/ [peɾ.foɾˈmãn̟.θe] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)Category:Spanish 4-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
• IPA^(key): /peɾfoɾˈmanse/ [peɾ.foɾˈmãn.se] (Latin America, Philippines)Category:Spanish 4-syllable words#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation#PERFORMANCE
  • Rhymes: -anθe (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)Category:Rhymes:Spanish/anθe#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Spanish/anθe/4 syllables#PERFORMANCE
  • Rhymes: -anse (Latin America, Philippines)Category:Rhymes:Spanish/anse#PERFORMANCECategory:Rhymes:Spanish/anse/4 syllables#PERFORMANCE
  • Syllabification: per‧for‧man‧ce

Noun

performance m or f same meaning (plural performances)Category:Spanish lemmas#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish countable nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish entries with incorrect language header#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish masculine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish feminine nouns#PERFORMANCECategory:Spanish nouns with multiple genders#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with entries#PERFORMANCECategory:Pages with 7 entries#PERFORMANCE

1. performance art
2. performance (amount of useful work accomplished)

Further reading

• “performance”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “performance”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010
• “performance”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, 2023, →ISBN
• Diccionario de anglicismos del español estadounidense