benchmark

American  

[bench-mahrk] / ˈbɛntʃˌmɑrk /

Or bench mark

noun

• benchmarks
  plural

1. 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.

2. any standard or reference by which others can be measured or judged.

   The current price for crude oil may become the benchmark.

3. Computers. an established point of reference against which computers or programs can be measured in tests comparing their performance, reliability, etc.

4. Surveying. Usually bench mark a marked point of known or assumed elevation from which other elevations may be established. BM

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or resulting in a benchmark.

   benchmark test, benchmark study.

verb (used with object)

1. to test (something) in order to develop a standard.

   IT benchmarked the new software.

2. to measure (something) against a standard.

   executive salaries benchmarked against the industry.

benchmark British  

/ ˈbɛntʃˌmɑːk /

noun

1. BM. 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 surveying

2. 1. a criterion by which to measure something; standard; reference point

   2. ( as modifier )

      a benchmark test

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verb

1. to measure or test against a benchmark

   the firm benchmarked its pay against that in industry

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• benchmarks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of benchmark

First recorded in 1835–45; bench + mark ¹

Explanation

A benchmark is a standard that other similar items can be compared to — that way everything is measured against a common standard. Benchmark originally referred to a mark made on a wall or building by a surveyor for use as a reference point. The word still retains that meaning, but nowadays you’re more likely to hear it used in a figurative sense to describe a standard used to measure the worth of something. A particular item is selected as a benchmark, and other similar items are compared to the benchmark. A popular sitcom may be the benchmark other shows are judged against.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

benchmark benchmarks

The global benchmark for crude oil, Brent, remains above $103 a barrel.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller National Home Index, the benchmark for home prices, fell a third in real terms in the years after the bubble burst and is still below the peak.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, rallied to as high as $105.88 a barrel before retreating to $104.28.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Borrowing costs are soaring as the yield on the benchmark 10-year government bond last week briefly exceeded 5% for the first time since 2002.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Epic in scope, violence, and imagination, Deathstorm is a new benchmark in the fantasy genre and cements forever G. M. Pennington’s status as the American Tolkien.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

But Alert struggled to meet Walmart’s benchmarks on throughput and other measures and faced a cash crunch, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Nike does not publish salary data by country, but told us 71% of its key suppliers pay at or above living-wage benchmarks relevant to their location.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Mistral said Chonk's scores on performance benchmarks so far make it one of the best open-weight models available, and "by far the best in Europe and the US".

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Beam is said to surpass other American open-weight models such as Thinking Machine’s Inkling and Nvidia’s Nemotron 3 Ultra across different agentic coding and reasoning benchmarks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

But O’Malley was confident that Richard would be able to meet the benchmarks she’d set.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Related Words

• criterion
• gauge
• standard
• yardstick