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# underachieve

verb (underachieve, underachieves, underachieved, underachieving)

«underachieve» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

To underachieve is to do less well than you are able to, especially at school or work. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#m1)

### In the lessons

A word used by teachers, parents and in school reports: «He is underachieving in maths». It tells the reader that a person could do better if they had more help, effort or interest. Person: an underachiever. Opposite: overachieve.

### Examples

- The teacher said Sam was underachieving in reading. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#x1)
- Some clever children underachieve because they are bored. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#x2)
- The team underachieved this season. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#x3)
- She stopped underachieving once she got glasses. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#x4)
- Extra help can stop pupils underachieving. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#x5)
- He felt he had underachieved in the test. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/#x6)

### Note

Spelled as one word. Noun: underachievement; person: underachiever. Formal-ish school language; it is not the same as «failing» — it means doing less than you could.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «underachieve» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/underachieve/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«underachieve» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/underachieve.html) on Mova free.