1. The act of performing or the state of being performed.
2. The act or style of performing a work or role before an audience.
3. The way in which someone or something functions: The pilot rated the airplane's performance in high winds.
4. A presentation, especially a theatrical one, before an audience.
5. Something performed; an accomplishment.
6. Linguistics. One's actual use of language in actual situations.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.