benchmark

or bench mark

[bench-mahrk]

See more synonyms for benchmark on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

adjective

of, relating to, or resulting in a benchmark: benchmark test, benchmark study.

verb (used with object)

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.

Origin of benchmark

First recorded in 1835–45; bench + mark¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for benchmark

yardstick, criterion, gauge, standard, touchstone, measure

Examples from the Web for benchmark

Contemporary Examples of benchmark

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.
How I Finally Got to the Bottom of My Insomnia
Gregory Ferenstein
June 26, 2014
Using the three states with the lowest mortality rate as the benchmark, they determined where the system breakdown begins.
One of These 5 Things Will Probably Kill You
Abby Haglage, Brandy Zadrozny
May 2, 2014
They represent a benchmark for what an average, well-educated student on track for college should know.
The Incredibly Stupid War on the Common Core
Charles Upton Sahm
April 21, 2014
If insurers beat their benchmark by 3-8 percent, they have to split that extra revenue with the federal government.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows, April 13
PunditFact.com
April 13, 2014

Historical Examples of benchmark

They set a standard which has remained the benchmark of Virginia political ethics.
The Road to Independence: Virginia 1763-1783
Virginia State Dept. of Education

British Dictionary definitions for benchmark

benchmark

noun

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
1. a criterion by which to measure something; standard; reference point
2. (as modifier)a benchmark test

verb

to measure or test against a benchmarkthe firm benchmarked its pay against that in industry

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

also bench-mark, "surveyor's point of reference," 1838, from a specialized surveyors' use of bench (n.) + mark (n.1); figurative sense is from 1884.