performance

Universal Words noun 1 [C] the act of performing a play, concert or some other form of entertainment: The performance starts at seven. * an evening performance * a performance of Ravel's String Quartet * Please refrain from talking during the performance. * a series of performances by the Kirov Ballet * one of the band's rare live performances 2 [C] the way a person performs in a play, concert, etc: She gave the greatest performance of her career. * an Oscar-winning performance from Al Pacino 3 [U,C] how well or badly you do sth; how well or badly sth works: the country's economic performance * It was an impressive performance by the French team. * The new management techniques aim to improve performance. * He criticized the recent poor performance of the company. * high-performance (= very powerful) cars / aircraft * performance indicators (= things that show how well or badly sth is working) * performance-related pay (= money that you earn that depends on how well you do your job) * Profits continue to grow, with strong performances in South America and the Far East. * Her academic performance has been inconsistent. 4 [U,sing.] (formal) the act or process of performing a task, an action, etc: She has shown enthusiasm in the performance of her duties. * He did not want a repeat performance of the humiliating defeat he had suffered. 5 [sing.] (informal, especially BrE) an act that involves a lot of effort or trouble, sometimes when it is not necessary: It's such a performance getting the children off to school in the morning. * He always goes through the whole performance of checking the oil and water even if we're in a hurry.