benchmark
or bench mark
[bench-mahrk]
- a standard of excellence, achievement, etc., against which similar things must be measured or judged: The new hotel is a benchmark in opulence and comfort.
- any standard or reference by which others can be measured or judged: The current price for crude oil may become the benchmark.
- Computers. an established point of reference against which computers or programs can be measured in tests comparing their performance, reliability, etc.
- Surveying. Usually bench mark. a marked point of known or assumed elevation from which other elevations may be established. Abbreviation: BM
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- of, relating to, or resulting in a benchmark: benchmark test, benchmark study.
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- to test (something) in order to develop a standard: IT benchmarked the new software.
- to measure (something) against a standard: executive salaries benchmarked against the industry.
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Origin of benchmark
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for benchmark
Contemporary Examples
He was a benchmark, a mentor as an artist and as a man, and I just loved him with all my heart.
Andrew Garfield on the Evils of Capitalism, the Hacking Scandal, and Criticism of ‘Spider-Man 2’Marlow Stern
September 10, 2014
Here's a key to understand the graph of accuracy: ● Lab: The polysomnograph, the benchmark for the other three.
Using the three states with the lowest mortality rate as the benchmark, they determined where the system breakdown begins.
They represent a benchmark for what an average, well-educated student on track for college should know.
If insurers beat their benchmark by 3-8 percent, they have to split that extra revenue with the federal government.
Historical Examples
They set a standard which has remained the benchmark of Virginia political ethics.
The Road to Independence: Virginia 1763-1783Virginia State Dept. of Education
benchmark
- a mark on a stone post or other permanent feature, at a point whose exact elevation and position is known: used as a reference point in surveyingAbbreviation: BM
- a criterion by which to measure something; standard; reference point
- (as modifier)a benchmark test
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- to measure or test against a benchmarkthe firm benchmarked its pay against that in industry
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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
Word Origin and History for benchmark
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper