PERFORMANCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does performance mean? 

• PERFORMANCE (noun)
  The noun PERFORMANCE has 5 senses:

1. a dramatic or musical entertainment

2. the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment

3. the act of performing; of doing something successfully; using knowledge as distinguished from merely possessing it

4. any recognized accomplishment

5. process or manner of functioning or operating

  Familiarity information: PERFORMANCE used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERFORMANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A dramatic or musical entertainment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

performance; public presentation

Context example:

the frequent performances of the symphony testify to its popularity

Hypernyms ("performance" is a kind of...):

show (a social event involving a public performance or entertainment)

Meronyms (parts of "performance"):

coda; finale (the closing section of a musical composition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "performance"):

world premiere ((music) the first public performance (as of a dramatic or musical work) anywhere in the world)

spectacular (a lavishly produced performance)

histrionics; representation; theatrical; theatrical performance (a performance of a play)

song and dance (theatrical performance combining singing and dancing)

rendering; rendition (a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role etc.)

recital (performance of music or dance especially by soloists)

premiere (the first public performance of a play or movie)

play reading (performance of a play by a group of readers)

pianism (performance by or technique of a pianist)

concert (a performance of music by players or singers not involving theatrical staging)

benefit (a performance to raise money for a charitable cause)

act; bit; number; routine; turn (a short performance that is part of a longer program)

Derivation:

perform (give a performance (of something))

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

an inspired performance of Mozart's C minor concerto

Hypernyms ("performance" is a kind of...):

demonstration; presentation; presentment (a show or display; the act of presenting something to sight or view)

Meronyms (parts of "performance"):

acting; performing; playacting; playing (the performance of a part or role in a drama)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "performance"):

last hurrah; swan song (a final performance or effort (especially before retirement))

program; programme (a performance (or series of performances) at a public presentation)

interpretation; rendering; rendition (the act of interpreting something as expressed in an artistic performance)

one-night stand (a performance in one place on one night only)

musical performance (the act of performing music)

juggle; juggling (throwing and catching several objects simultaneously)

extemporisation; extemporization; improvisation (a performance given extempore without planning or preparation)

encore (an extra or repeated performance; usually given in response to audience demand)

dramatic performance; dramatic production (the act of performing a drama)

conjuration; conjuring trick; deception; illusion; legerdemain; magic; magic trick; thaumaturgy; trick (an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of performing; of doing something successfully; using knowledge as distinguished from merely possessing it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

carrying into action; carrying out; execution; performance

Context example:

experience generally improves performance

Hypernyms ("performance" is a kind of...):

action (something done (usually as opposed to something said))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "performance"):

specific performance (the performance of a legal contract as specified by its terms)

linguistic performance ((linguistics) a speaker's actual use of language in real situations; what the speaker actually says, including grammatical errors and other non-linguistic features such as hesitations and other disfluencies (contrasted with linguistic competence))

mechanics; mechanism (the technical aspects of doing something)

officiation (the performance of a religious or ceremonial or public duty)

Derivation:

perform (carry out or perform an action)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Any recognized accomplishment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

when Roger Maris powered four home runs in one game his performance merits awe

Hypernyms ("performance" is a kind of...):

accomplishment; achievement (the action of accomplishing something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "performance"):

underachievement (poorer than expected performance (poorer than might have been predicted from intelligence tests))

overachievement (better than expected performance (better than might have been predicted from intelligence tests))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Process or manner of functioning or operating

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

functioning; operation; performance

Context example:

the jet's performance conformed to high standards

Hypernyms ("performance" is a kind of...):

physical process; process (a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states)

 Context examples 

To be sure, it was an unwonted performance: but he had learned to trust in men he knew, and to give them credit for a wisdom that outreached his own.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

The quality of the person's ADL performance is assessed by rating the effort, efficiency, safety, and independence of 16 ADL motor and 20 ADL process skill items.

(Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, NCI Thesaurus)

Mr. Micawber promptly resumed his letter, glad to revert to a performance with which he was so highly satisfied.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In order to evaluate these AI-found features, the research group verified the performance of recurrence prediction using the remaining cases from NMSH (internal validation).

(Artificial Intelligence Identifies Features Associated with Cancer Recurrence, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The questionnaire contains 23 items (and a number of sub-items within the 23 main items) with a range of preset answers that are assigned points based on performance.

(Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory Questionnaire, NCI Thesaurus)

Saturn may be supportive, but can also be a drill sergeant, as he works to help you polish your performance.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I have heard of a faithful performance.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Test names of questionnaire questions associated with the Karnofsky performance status scale questionnaire (KPS Scale) for the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Standard Data Tabulation Model (SDTM).

(CDISC Questionnaire KPS Scale Test Name Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

The performance and efficiency of flexible devices, however, pale in comparison to rigid devices, which have been superior in their ability to convert body heat into usable energy.

(Flexible Wearable Electronics Use Body Heat for Energy, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The CBA/J mice exhibit an intermediate life span with good breeding performance.

(CBA/J Mouse, NCI Thesaurus)