baseline

[ beys-lahyn ]

/ ˈbeɪsˌlaɪn /

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See synonyms for baseline on Thesaurus.com

noun Also base line .

Baseball. the area between bases within which a base runner must keep when running from one base to another.

Tennis. the line at each end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the in-bounds limit of play.

(in perspective drawing) a horizontal line in the immediate foreground formed by the intersection of the ground plane and the picture plane.

a basic standard or level; guideline: to establish a baseline for future studies.

a specific value or values that can serve as a comparison or control.

Typography. the imaginary line on which the bottoms of primary letters align.

Surveying. See under triangulation (def. 1).

Electronics. a horizontal or vertical line formed on the face of a cathode-ray tube by the sweep of the scanning dot.

Naval Architecture. a line on the body plan or sheer plan of a hull, representing a horizontal reference plane for vertical dimensions.

adjective

basic or essential.

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showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Origin of baseline

First recorded in 1740–50; base¹ + line¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use baseline in a sentence

Domestically, the prime minister maintains the dubious line that he is the only man who can keep the still-fragile peace.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Paperback publishers distributed their titles in African-American neighborhoods because it expanded their market base.
How Pulp Fiction Saved Literature|Wendy Smith|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If ISIS “came into a base and killed hundreds of troops, then people would ask a lot more questions.”
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last week I turned 40, a bittersweet occasion because I crossed the line to living longer without my mother than with her.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Completed in 1953 and composed with standard line breaks and punctuation, the book was completely ignored upon submission.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In this position, the line of cavalry formed the chord of the arc described by the river, and occupied by us.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Our talk ranged from the Panhandle to the Canada line, while our horses jogged steadily southward.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The upper part of the stem is usually unbranched, but whorls of branches occur towards the base.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
I have drawn a Line between the figures at the extream changes, that next below the Line is the extream.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
My station was on the right of the line, where the breastwork, ending in a redoubt, was steep and high.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for baseline

baseline

/ (ˈbeɪsˌlaɪn) /

noun

surveying a measured line through a survey area from which triangulations are made

an imaginary line, standard of value, etc, by which things are measured or compared

a line at each end of a tennis court that marks the limit of play

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for baseline

base line

A line corresponding to the base of the skull, passing from the infraorbital ridge to the midline of the occiput, through the ear canal.

A line serving as a basis, as for measurement or calculation.

baseline

Origin of baseline

Words related to baseline

How to use baseline in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for baseline

Medical definitions for baseline