performer
gb/pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/ us/pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
B1
English
~ 9500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
person who entertains an audience
A person who entertains people by acting, singing, dancing, playing music, or doing similar shows, usually for an audience.
Usage pattern:
a/an [adjective] performer
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "performer" with "performance." "Performer" is the person, while "performance" is the show or act itself. Example: "The performer gave a great performance." Another mistake is using "artist" only for painters; many actors, singers, and dancers can also be called performers or artists.
Synonyms
entertainer (Broader and more general; can include TV hosts, comedians, and others, not only stage artists.)
Antonyms
audience member (Refers to someone watching the show rather than appearing in it.)
Collocations
stage performer
|street performer
|live performer
|professional performer
|solo performer
|circus performer
Themes
arts
|entertainment
|work
|arts_entertainment
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She’s a talented performer who sings and dances in Broadway musicals.
- The festival brings together street performers from all over the world.
- Every performer must arrive two hours before the show starts.
- The young violinist was the youngest performer in the orchestra.
- As a live performer, he feeds off the energy of the crowd.
Learner examples
- The performer walks onto the stage and smiles.
- Many performers practice for years before their first big show.
- The children loved the performer at the birthday party.
- The performer plays the guitar and sings a song.
- She wants to be a performer in movies one day.
Noun
B2
entity
2
worker judged by their results
A person at work who does their job with a certain level of success, often compared to other workers.
Usage pattern:
a/an [adjective] performer at/for [company]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "performer" always means someone on a stage. In business and school contexts, "performer" often just means a person who does well or badly at their tasks, not someone who entertains an audience. Also, "good performer" and "high performer" sound natural, while phrases like "big performer" or "heavy performer" do not.
Synonyms
high achiever (Focuses more on strong success and ambition, especially in school or work; often only used for very successful performers.)
Antonyms
underperformer (Specifically describes someone who does not meet expected results at work or in another performance-based area.)
Collocations
top performer
|strong performer
|high performer
|low performer
|star performer
|poor performer
Themes
business
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She’s one of the company’s top performers and is likely to be promoted soon.
- The sales team includes several strong performers and a few who need extra support.
- We reward high performers with bonuses and extra vacation days.
- The manager met with low performers to create improvement plans.
- Over the past year, he has gone from an average performer to one of our best.
Learner examples
- Her boss says she is a very good performer at work.
- The company gives prizes to its top performers.
- Low performers must take extra training classes.
- Managers watch how each performer in the team does their job.
- He wants to be the best performer in his department.
Noun
C1
entity
3
product or asset that does well
A thing like a product, service, or investment that is said to be good or bad because of its results, such as money it makes.
Usage pattern:
a/an [adjective] performer in [market/area]
Common mistake:
It may be confusing that "performer" can refer to a thing, not a person. In business and finance, it is common to say a product, service, or investment is a "strong performer" or "poor performer" to talk about its results, not about entertainment.
Synonyms
strong product (More general; does not highlight the idea of measured or compared results as clearly as calling it a strong performer.)
Antonyms
underperformer (Used for products or investments that give worse results than expected or compared with others.)
Collocations
strong performer
|top performer
|best performer
|poor performer
|weak performer
|consistent performer
Themes
business
|finance
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The fund has been a strong performer over the last five years.
- Smartphones remain the company’s best performer in the Asian market.
- This model was a weak performer and has now been discontinued.
- Our online subscription service is a consistent performer, even in difficult times.
- Among all their funds, the technology portfolio is the top performer.
Learner examples
- This car is a strong performer in cold weather.
- The new app is the best performer in the company’s product line.
- That stock was a poor performer last year.
- Our website is now a good performer for sales.
- The small fund became a top performer after the market changed.
Grammar
Dictionary form
performer
IPA
GB/pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
US/pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
Syllables & stress
per - former (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (per)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: performer
- Plural: performers
Word family
Forms
performers
noun
Core family
perform
verb B1
performance
noun A2
Related words
underperform
verb B2
underperformance
noun
Advanced or less common
performative
adjective
Expressions
poor performer
1/pˈʊɹ pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
person or thing with weak results
A person or thing that does not do as well as expected, especially when compared with others.
Examples
- The manager offered extra training to poor performers in the team.
- That stock has been a poor performer for several years.
- Math was always his weakest subject, and he was a poor performer in tests.
star performer
1/stˈɑɹ pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
person with outstanding performance
A person who performs much better than most others, either in entertainment or at work.
Examples
- Their new striker has quickly become the star performer of the team.
- In the last quarter, our star performer was the European sales division.
- The teacher praised her as a star performer in the science project.
street performer
1/stɹˈit pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
entertainer performing in public streets
A person who plays music, does tricks, or acts in public streets or squares, usually for money from people passing by.
Examples
- A street performer was juggling fire at the corner of the square.
- Tourists stopped to watch the street performer play the violin.
- The city now requires street performers to get a simple permit.
top performer
1/tˈɑp pɚfˈɔɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
person or thing with best results
A person or thing that has the best results compared to others in the same group.
Examples
- She was the top performer in the sales team for three years in a row.
- This fund is the top performer in its category this quarter.
- Schools like to highlight their top performers in exams on their websites.