baseline
Americannoun
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Baseball. the area between bases within which a base runner must keep when running from one base to another.
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Tennis. the line at each end of a tennis court, parallel to the net, that marks the in-bounds limit of play.
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(in perspective drawing) a horizontal line in the immediate foreground formed by the intersection of the ground plane and the picture plane.
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a basic standard or level; guideline.
to establish a baseline for future studies.
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a specific value or values that can serve as a comparison or control.
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Typography. the imaginary line on which the bottoms of primary letters align.
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Surveying. triangulation1
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Electronics. a horizontal or vertical line formed on the face of a cathode-ray tube by the sweep of the scanning dot.
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Naval Architecture. a line on the body plan or sheer plan of a hull, representing a horizontal reference plane for vertical dimensions.
adjective
noun
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surveying a measured line through a survey area from which triangulations are made
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an imaginary line, standard of value, etc, by which things are measured or compared
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a line at each end of a tennis court that marks the limit of play
Etymology
Origin of baseline
Explanation
A baseline is an imaginary starting point or basis of comparison for something. To test how a class's performance improves over time, a researcher might begin with a baseline showing their current scores and grades. You're most likely to encounter baseline in technical or work-related writing, since it's mainly used to talk about comparing data. In land surveying, the baseline runs east and west, and all measurements and surveys are based on that main line. There's also a baseline in sports, marking certain boundaries on the field or court, including the route a baseball player takes rounding the bases toward home plate.
Vocabulary lists containing baseline
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Future work within Fermilab's Short Baseline Neutrino program is expected to explore these questions in greater detail.
From Science Daily • Jan. 12, 2026
The ATP said there are "protections in place" for injured players, pointing to its Baseline programme, external which seeks to spread wealth further down the tour.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2025
Etiwanda 10, Upland 2: The Eagles continued their late-season surge in the Baseline League.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025
Damien 74, Chino Hills 58: Jayden Avina finished with 24 points in the Baseline League win.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2025
He closed the letter by drawing a map and giving detailed direc-tions for finding the trailer on Bullhead City’s Baseline Road.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
