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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Origin of baseline

First recorded in 1740–50; base¹ + line¹

Words nearby baseline

BASE jump, base jumping, Basel, baseless, base level, baseline, baseliner, Basel-Land, base load, Basel-Stadt, baseman

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

How to use baseline in a sentence

Only known hunters were enrolled, and owners first tallied up every bird, mammal or other critter their cats brought home for seven weeks, to establish a baseline for each cat.
Meatier meals and more playtime might reduce cats’ toll on wildlife|Jonathan Lambert|February 11, 2021|Science News
It was 10 minutes before I saw any art, but that gave me time to feel my heart pumping and to register certain baseline realities — for example, the world is three-dimensional.
Sculpture parks are a great way to see art during a pandemic. Here’s why some are better than others.|Sebastian Smee|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
Once you’ve played a few rounds and have a stronger grasp on how your first choice of ball performs when putting, with powerful long drives, and on different terrain, you’ll have a baseline for comparison with pro models.
Beginner-friendly golf balls that will help you fall in love with the game|PopSci Commerce Team|February 5, 2021|Popular-Science
Users fill out some brief fitness information on the web-based platform, outlining their goals and current baseline.
Health tech startup Bold raises $7 million in seed funding for senior-focused fitness programs|Sophie Burkholder|February 4, 2021|TechCrunch

Leg press, for example, ends up about 70 percent higher than baseline.
The Data Behind a Once-a-Week Strength Routine|Alex Hutchinson|February 2, 2021|Outside Online
“There is a baseline agreement when it comes to campus rape: the current system is failing these students,” she added.
Feminism Has Gone Too Far|Lizzie Crocker|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their borderline baseline distaste for a person they did not know had become a sport, and the off season was finally over.
Do We Still Hate Anne Hathaway?|Kevin Fallon|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A system to ensure that providers have a baseline competency in the areas where they choose to practice makes sense to me.
Rand Paul and the Certification Racket|Russell Saunders|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We can aim at an economy that makes dignity and security a baseline and lets people cut their paths from there.
We Need More Class Traitors: Solving America’s Meritocracy Problem|Jedediah Purdy|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Women have learned to operate with a baseline level of fear, one that dips or peaks depending on our surroundings.
Apps and Online Programs Offer New Ways to Report Street Harassment|Tessa Miller|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the 17th a baseline was laid down on the plateau, and Blake was able to commence his survey of the island.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
With two tracers, separated on a baseline of a few million kilometers, we can plot position closely.
Evil Out of Onzar|Mark Ganes
Anyway, he knocked it straight down the third baseline and fooled the Journals rivals, for their fielders were not on duty.
Joan of the Journal|Helen Diehl Olds
The crescent rests on a baseline formed by the slowly-proceeding line of women, children, and baggage-horses.
At Home with the Patagonians|George Chaworth Musters
Meanwhile his baseline had been extended twenty miles to the westto near Noyon.
New York Times Current History: The European War, Vol. 8, Pt. 2, No. 1, July 1918|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 nearby baseline

Words related to baseline

How to use baseline in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for baseline

Medical definitions for baseline